


As the Crow Flies

by Shi_Toyu



Category: Maleficent (2014)
Genre: Diaval & Aurora Friendship, F/M, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-02-21 17:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 32,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2477027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No power in the world could destroy the curse Maleficent placed on Aurora...so she had to find another solution. Now, Diaval and the princess, with a bit of help, must fix the mess left behind. Diavicent. Philora. Diaval and Aurora friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clipped Wings

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so let me just cover a few things really quick to get us going! This is me taking the plot of Maleficent and stirring it up a bit to suit my purposes! This fic starts once Aurora's 16th birthday has come around, so about half-way through the movie. It is a very slow-build Diavicent. And, finally, for the sake of my title, Diaval is a crow and not a raven. Everything else should be explained in the fic! Please enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so let me just cover a few things really quick to get us going! This is me taking the plot of Maleficent and stirring it up a bit to suit my purposes! This fic starts once Aurora's 16th birthday has come around, so about half-way through the movie. It is a very slow-build Diavicent. And, finally, for the sake of my title, Diaval is a crow and not a raven. Everything else should be explained in the fic! Please enjoy!

Aurora gazed out at the revelry around her, a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. Somehow, after her fight with her godmoth-no, Maleficent, and her arrival at the castle, her sixteenth birthday had come and gone without incident. A full day later, she was still very much awake, with no idea why. Her father, King Stefan, seemed to think it was because his iron traps and brambles had foiled the faerie.

Aurora did not agree. It pained her that her father, whom she'd thought was dead for so long, was addled in the mind, but that was clearly the case. He called upon the clearly emotionally taxed and overworked people of his kingdom to throw a grand celebration for the occasion of outwitting Maleficent.

Aurora's heart ached for them.

She was in no mood to celebrate, not when it felt as though her entire life had been ripped away from her. She had lost her godmother, her friends, her adopted family. She had thought reuniting with her father would be glorious, but he proved only to be a shallow, greedy man. She would give anything to take back the last week, to return to the Moor and pretend as though nothing had happened.

But she couldn't.

And so, with a heavy heart, the princess stole away from the party, slipping between revelers and closer and closer to the outskirts of the celebration until she found herself with enough room to think. There were booths everywhere, with merchants calling out their wares of snacks and baubles. Every day folk mingled with those in fabulous costumes. Despite her ill at ease feeling, Aurora did have to marvel at the sights around her.

Which is probably why she walked smack into the man without ever seeing him.

Suddenly, hands gripped her elbow and pulled her quickly towards a nearby alley, out of the crowded street. Aurora opened her mouth to scream, but the hand on her elbow tightened just a touch, swinging her around to face her assailant.

It was Diaval, looking more distraught and disheveled than she had ever seen him. Scratches littered his face and arms and his eyes were wide with fear and worry. Her anger at Maleficent's servant evaporated instantly.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Her hands flew to his face, examining the long gash that ran under his eye. He was more family to her than any blood relative, like a favorite uncle or older brother, and she hated seeing him this way. His hands rose to cover hers, but did not pull them away. His eyes searched her own desperately.

"You have to help me, Aurora. She's gone! I can't find her anywhere!"

He was panicking, that much was clear. She could feel his hands shaking on top of her own, whether from adrenalin or crashing from it, she didn't know.

"Shhh…calm down, Diaval. It's okay. I need you to stay calm and tell me what's going on."

The crow-turned-man clenched his eyes shut and took several deep breaths, trying and failing to calm himself. When he opened his eyes again, though, they were not quite as panicked as before.

"I've looked everywhere for her, but I haven't seen her since early yesterday. She wouldn't leave me like this, Aurora. She wouldn't! Something had to have happened! I didn't know where else to go!"

The princess shushed him calmingly once again, moving to grasp his hands and give him a point from which to ground himself.

"Who's gone, Diaval?"

But she feared she already knew, and the illness in her stomach became all the more sickening.

"Maleficent. I left her for only an hour or two and she just vanished. That's not like her, Aurora, you know that."

Aurora's eyes flickered up towards the castle, dark and imposing against the night sky. The lit fires of the festival served only to make the shadows dance across its foreboding walls. Far too late, the reason for Stefan's revelry came to her. When she spoke, her voice shook with fear.

"My father has her…"

But why did he not show off his captive, if that were the case? Something more had to be at play.

Diaval didn't seem to care, hands gripping her own tightly. His knuckles were white, grip hard enough to hurt, but Aurora knew he didn't mean it. He had that panicked look about him again.

"Here? Where? I have to find her, Aurora! She needs me! Stefan will kill her!"

And wasn't that the truth? The princess wracked her brain for someplace that her father could be keeping the faerie. There weren't many places that had been out of bounds for her since she'd arrived at the castle. Her father seemed not to care where she went or what she did so long as it was out of his way. There was one place, though…She had been reprimanded quite severely for trying to go there and locked in her chambers for several hours.

"I think…I think I may know."

It didn't take much prompting to get the crow to follow her deeper into the city, behind the walls of the castle, and into its depths. The celebration had been left far behind them, forgotten except for an excellent distraction. There were no guards at their posts, all called away by Stefan to join in the revelry. It was only for his own victory that he invited all to join.

The two stole through the castle silently and quickly. They kept one eye behind themselves as much as they kept an eye in front. The last thing they wanted at this point was to be caught. Knowing Stefan had captured her godmother was bad enough; Aurora would not let him have Diaval, too.

She led the man past the wash rooms, down more staircases and corridors and to the deepest dungeons of the castle. The door she stopped in front of was plain, made of wood. It looked so unobtrusive. It was hard to believe that it was the very door that had caused such an uproar barely a day earlier.

Aurora placed a hand to the cool wood, feeling the grain beneath her fingers for a moment before pushing it open. The hinges were well-oiled, and only barely squeaked, but the sound echoed through the large chamber beyond. It was impossible to see much inside, as darkness shrouded everything.

Before she had even begun to think of the need, Diaval appeared beside her with one of the torches from further up the hall. He appeared calm now, eyes fierce and staring into the abyss before them. The scratches that littered his frame served only to make him seem more ready for battle. She would need to ask him how he came by those scratches, but later, once her godmother was safe.

Like her anger at Diaval, her anger at Maleficent had evaporated at the barest sign of danger. It was clear that her godmother regretted her actions and, after having met her own father, Aurora couldn't really blame the faerie in the first place. She couldn't have known who Aurora would grow to be.

Their first few steps into the room revealed piles of shattered wood. They were clearly pieces of a single instrument, though none Aurora had ever heard of, much less seen. Diaval's voice came from right behind her, words like a gentle gust of wind.

"Spinningwheels, Your Highness. King Stefan had them destroyed after my Mistress placed her curse upon you."

There was no apology in his words, just a statement of fact, and Aurora found it oddly refreshing. She trailed a hand delicately along one of the charred wooden frames, marveling at what was left of that which was meant to end her. After a moment to take it all in, the two continued along the path that wound between the piles.

About 10 yards in, they caught sight of a piece of black fabric. It hung from the jagged end of one of the many wooden frames. The fabric was clearly torn and worry blossomed anew in Aurora's heart.

"Godmother? Are you there?"

No sound greeted them and the two moved further into the forest of frames. Diaval carefully extracted the fabric from the frame as they passed, something that did not escape Aurora's notice.

They moved deeper into the room, the doorway disappearing into the darkness behind them. Their soft footfalls seemed to echo across the dust, instead of being dampened by it. It wasn't until they had gone about 7 yards that they saw more cloth. This time, it was draped across the floor, fanning out as though behind a person walking.

Aurora would have recognized it anywhere.

"Godmother!"

But Diaval grabbed her arm before she could rush forward. Giving him an odd look, she let him pass her and cautiously proceed first. The light of the torch lit more and more of the ground, following the waves and the ripples of the fabric, until it alighted upon a figure, hunched before the fully-intact frame of what could only be a spinningwheel.

Aurora felt sick to her stomach all over again at the sight of those familiar horns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! Ready for the next chapter? I will be updating every Saturday and Wednesday unless I get five comments on the most recent chapter! Then I'll update early!


	2. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora and Diaval must face the reality of what they have discovered, but they are not the only ones interested in this new development.

"No…No, no, no, nonono, NO!"

Diaval dropped the torch without a second thought as he rushed to his crumpled Mistress. His knees crashed into the ground with a painful 'crack!' but he hardly noticed. He reached out to Maleficent with trembling fingers, hands gripping too-still shoulders gently, and turned her over.

The normally stern faerie looked peaceful in sleep, almost happy. Her head rolled to lie against Diaval's chest as he cradled her form. Her warmth seeped into him and all he could think of was how much he had desired this, yearned for this contact…but not this way, anything but like this.

Distantly, he heard Aurora shuffle closer, coming to just beside his shoulder and peering down at his precious bundle. He wasn't the only one shaking, apparently. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought he should comfort her, perhaps. It would be what Maleficent would want him to do, but he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the sleeping Faerie in his arms.

"Is she…"

The princess was obviously reluctant to finish the question, but he already knew what she wanted to say.

"Sleeping."

Diaval's voice broke as he said the word, wishing with all of his heart for it not to be true. But this was reality, and, as such, hardly ever what was actually wanted. One of Aurora's hands found his shoulder and squeezed.

"But, I thought the curse was for me?"

If Diaval's world had been narrowed to the figure in his arms before, it was blown wide open now. The entire room seemed to come to him in intricate detail, sending him a bit off kilter. She raised an excellent point. How had this happened?

"I…I don't know…She tried to break the curse four days ago. It was right before you came to ask if you could live with us in the Moor. It didn't work and she was distraught. But…" and here, realization began to dawn on him, "but then she wasn't…"

Diaval thought of what had happened after that, how Maleficent had left the Moor in the dead of night, giving the crow strict instructions not to follow. She'd been gone for hours and returned visibly exhausted, but startlingly happy. And when Aurora had run off to the castle, she hadn't seemed as upset as she should have been…

It all clicked into place. Diaval, who had served his Mistress more closely than any other for almost the last two decades, knew how she thought, how she worked things out. She had never faced a problem that she wasn't determined to solve, one way or another.

'…and no power in the world will be able to break it…'

"She took it. Oh, god, she took it!" Finally, it seemed, his wide, terrified eyes, were able to find Aurora's. "She couldn't break the curse because of how she had worded the original magic, but she still managed to find a loophole. She took your curse as her own in order to save you. It couldn't be broken…so she moved it."

And wasn't that just the kind of thing Maleficent would do, sacrificing herself to save another?

Aurora's jaw dropped and her hands flew to her mouth, eyes watering. She'd been so angry with her godmother that day in the Moor, shouting at her and calling her evil. They were awful things to say to the one who had just saved you, even if Aurora hadn't known it at the time. Guilt riddled her chest and she silently vowed to find a way to fix this. She would get her godmother back.

A loud bang of wooden door on stone made them both jump and spin around, Diaval laying down Maleficent's body to stand before it protectively. There wasn't much he could do in the form of a man, but he wasn't about to go down without a fight.

"Aurora!"

The princess's eyes widened with fear and she shared a look with Diaval. Stefan being here was definitely not a good idea…It could only end badly.

Before either of them could react, maybe try and hide Maleficent's slumbering form, the king came storming along the path. His Captain of the Guard accompanied him on one side, along with another soldier. Both carried torches to illuminate the darkness and they cast terrifying shadows across the King's face. Darkness snagged on every crevice of his scowling countenance and stretched across in a twisted mask.

"I told you, you were never to go here! You're lucky one of the maids saw you enter! And to sneak off with some soiled cur!"

The king's mad eyes flickered to Diaval, disgust and condemnation clear in their depths. Both princess and crow bristled at the implication, but brushed it aside in favor of the bigger issue. Aurora stepped forward, towards her father, hoping it would keep his eyes on her and not the faerie behind. Thank goodness Maleficent's cloak would blend in well with the darkness.

"I'm sorry, father. I don't know why I did it. Let's go back to the celebration, shall we?"

But the king wasn't listening to her any more. His gaze passed right by her and into the shadows behind Diaval. A series of emotions warred across his face, not the least of which were fear, anger, and guilt. There was no mistaking what he was looking at.

"Maleficent?"

Stefan moved as if to go to her, whether to lop off her head or kneel at her side, they could not know. Diaval, though, stepped firmly into his path, raising both hands as if to ward him off. Both guards instantly had their swords drawn, but, if anything, crows are clever little beasts. Maleficent had often said so when he'd done a job well.

He swept into a low bow.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I fear that it is not safe to approach. I cannot be sure that the faerie's curse will affect herself the same way it would affect another."

Stefan's eyebrows rose as he took in Diaval's appearance with renewed interest. His eyes lingered on the scratches to the man's face and the tatters of his clothes. In a certain light, he would surely look as though he had been through some battle.

"You made her like this?"

There was disbelief in his voice, but Diaval could tell he was considering it. He sent a glance sideways at Aurora, hoping she would catch on quickly and lend more power to his claims. It was the only way to keep Maleficent safe…even if that safety had to be found in the sleeping death as a captive of her greatest enemy.

"It is so, Sire. The curse placed upon your daughter could not be broken. It was imperative for another to take her place. Who better, thought I, than the creature who originally cast it?"

"I see…Killing two birds with one stone, as they say…"

Diaval had to wince at the king's wording. Luckily, Aurora seemed to have caught up with his plan. She popped up at Diaval's side, standing between Stefan and Maleficent once more.

"It's true, father. No one knows how to counteract faerie magic like Diaval."

Stefan's eyes narrowed once again.

"And how do you know this man?"

"I am but a woodsman, sir. I met the princess some years ago while tracking a deer and decided I must be of assistance to her. My parents were killed by creatures of the Moor."

The king was silent for a long moment as he looked between his daughter and the man he had never met and it was his Captain of the Guard who finally broke the tension.

"That is quite a feat, indeed, to trick the evil faerie Maleficent into taking on her own curse. You must be a clever man."

Diaval bowed his head deeply again.

"I am merely a tool to be used in the service of those far wiser than myself."

At this, Stefan grinned.

"Do not sell yourself short, lad. You have done a great deed this day, and you shall be handsomely rewarded. As you have been so dedicated in your service to my daughter, you may take upon those duties in an official capacity. From this day forth, you shall be Princess Aurora's man servant and live here in the castle."

"You honor me, Your Highness."

Stefan nodded dismissively before turning his gaze once more to the faerie beyond.

"As for Maleficent, she shall be given a place of honor as well. I decree that her body be encased in glass and iron and put on display in my throne room. Let all who enter see what happens to those who defy me and bring ill will into my land."

As Diaval bowed even lower, he fought the urge to paint the floor with the contents of his stomach.


	3. An Unexpected Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora and Diaval are stuck in a bad situation, Maleficent in an even worse one. Will this new arrival to the kingdom help or hinder their plans of rescuing the faerie?

Aurora thought the entire scene was grotesque. Really, it was sickening.

She sat in an ornate throne, the one which used to be her mother's, next to her father as the proceedings went on. Diaval stood just behind the chair, stock still and emotions hidden behind a blank face. The princess knew that, as hard as this was for her, it had to be a hundred times worse for him. There wasn't much of a choice in the matter, though.

They were in the throne room, Stefan accepting visits and gifts from the Lords and Ladies of the court. 'Blessings', he called them, for his daughter who had defeated Maleficent. It seemed that was the only thing about her that he cared to notice. She was as much of a trophy to him as her godmother.

At the thought of the faerie, Aurora's eyes drifted to the side. It wasn't like she was paying attention to whatever the nobleman was saying to lick her father's boot, anyway. (And, at this point, she hardly thought of him as a father, more like the shell of a man.) Maleficent's face was calm and almost-peaceful in sleep, hands clasped atop her abdomen. Her glass cage was tilted upwards so that all who walked through the room would see who was held captive by King Stefan.

It seemed a cruel twist of fate that the Moor's (and Aurora's) guardian be so close, yet the princess and her servant be unable to help her.

The king had insisted his daughter be present in the throne room for the proceedings, no doubt wanting to show her off as if he had anything to do with the way she had turned out. Though she had cried desperately over his cruelty and callous greed until the small hours of the night before, Aurora had finally come to terms with the truth of her relationship with her father. The best thing he had ever done for her was give her up.

If he hadn't sent her off with the three faeries as a baby, Aurora wouldn't have grown into the same girl, almost a woman, that she was so proud to be. Through the teachings of her Aunties, who tried their best, and the example set by Maleficent's ever-present shadow, she had learned to be someone who cared for others and was as pretty on the inside as she was on the outside.

Stefan was not very pretty.

Aurora wondered if he ever had been, once upon a time. After all, her mother had to have loved him in the beginning, right? And Diaval had shared with her the events which lead up to Maleficent placing that curse of her as a baby. What had changed her father so much back then? Lust for power? Desire for riches? She could only hope she never fell into that trap.

The nobleman bowed deeply and left as the court's herald trumpeted a new arrival. The sound of his horn startled Aurora from her thoughts and she straightened in her throne. It would be best to at least appear attentive. They would have no hope of saving her godmother if her father was displeased with her.

"Announcing Prince Phillip, who comes seeking an audience with King Stefan!"

The princess straightened even more when the boy, almost a man, stepped into the throne room. He was the same Prince Phillip she had met in the woods that day, before things had gone so horribly wrong…three days ago.

Wow, he was worse with directions than he'd let on.

As the prince crossed the throne room towards herself and her father, his eyes remained riveted on Maleficent's slumbering form. The way he paled and seemed to cringe back from it did not escape Aurora. Was it fear of the faerie, or disgust at what had been done to her that caused his discomfort?

"Magnificent, isn't she?"

Phillip's attention snapped to King Stefan and, recovering his princely poise, he swept into a respectful bow.

"I have surely never seen anything of the like, Your Highness. Who is she?"

Stefan all but preened at the opportunity to tell his story once again.

"Her name was Maleficent. She was a fearsome creature who had plagued our land for many years. In the end, it was her own cruelty and wickedness that was her undoing."

Wasn't that just rich, coming from him. Phillip's gaze had shifted back to the imprisoned faerie and Aurora was sure she saw a flash of something (Pity? Concern?) cross his face.

"We have heard tales of her even in my father's kingdom. It is said she is a mighty foe with great power at her command. What keeps her like this? Surely, it cannot be of natural causes."

"It is a curse, one she attempted to place on my precious Aurora. However, my clever daughter outwitted the vile creature and tricked her into being bound by her own spell. Now, Maleficent lays in an eternal slumber. Nothing may wake her."

At the mention of her name, Stefan had gestured to Aurora, drawing Phillip's eyes to her. For a moment, their gazes met and it was as though time stood still. The princess just hated that they would have to meet again under such unfavorable circumstances. She hated even more what Phillip must think of her involvement in Maleficent's imprisonment.

The prince's face, however, lit up upon seeing her sitting on the throne. Clearly, the change of clothes and setting hadn't thrown him off for a moment. He was clearly much better with faces than directions. He swept into another bow, this one aimed exclusively at her and she felt herself blushing despite everything. This was so not the time.

"My greetings, fair princess. I must admit, I had not expected to see you again so soon. Nor here, of all places."

Stefan jumped in before Aurora could respond.

"You know my daughter already?"

"Indeed, Sire, though I did not know who she was at the time. I met her in the forest several days ago while on my way here. I'm afraid I had become quite lost and she was kind enough to offer my directions to your castle."

The king nodded slowly.

"I see. And for what reason were you seeking my castle and my audience?"

"Of course, forgive me for not saying so sooner. I am afraid I have had quite a few surprises to distract me since my arrival." Prince Phillip had clearly been raised with his own royal family. Only someone accustomed to court life could slip so easily between words. "My father sent me in the hopes of fostering an alliance between our kingdoms. We had hoped to offer our military assistance to your cause against the Moor, but it is clear that will not be needed. However, we are a bountiful kingdom and have much to offer you still in the form of trade."

Aurora did not need to look at her father to know the gleam of greed in his eye. If the offer was a promise to expand his resources and bring him more power, she had little doubt the king would take it. It seemed that, even after all that had happened, he still was unable to learn his lesson.

"I know your kingdom well. Your agricultural resources are unparalleled by any other. I feel an alliance between our kingdoms could be very prosperous." His gaze slid sideways to land on Aurora and she felt a cold pit of dread take up residence in her stomach. "Or perhaps you would be open to something more than an alliance?"

"I am afraid I do not follow, Sire."

Stefan drew himself up to sit tall in his throne, though he did not rise to his feet.

"I propose a union of our two kingdoms, bonded by the union between yourself and my daughter, Aurora. The exact terms will need to be discussed, but it would strengthen us all the more."

'Us' meaning 'me', of course.

Prince Phillip looked flustered for a few moments before he managed to pull himself together. His gaze flickered to Aurora as though trying to measure her reaction to the whole situation. It wasn't so much that she was opposed…He seemed to be nice and he was certainly handsome. It was just that she didn't know him.

The prince turned back to the king.

"I am sure you understand that I could not agree to such a thing without speaking of it to my father first. If I may beg the use of one of your couriers to send him the message, I would like to stay here and become better acquainted with both yourself and your daughter. It would give us an excellent chance to discuss these matters in more detail."

Stefan smiled, happy to be getting his way.

"You shall have your carrier and I will have our best rooms prepared for you. I look forward to our conversations, Prince Phillip."

Prince and princess shared another look, this one promising that they would be having conversations of their own…and soon.


	4. Afternoon Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora intends to find out what Prince Phillip's intentions are and where his loyalties lie.

Phillip looked up when there was a knock at his chamber doors. He hadn't been doing much since a servant had showed in to the rooms he would be staying in, just settling in. The rooms were nice, plush and ornate. Everything screamed wealth, even more so than most of the castles he went to.

It had been clear from the moment he met the man in person that King Stefan valued wealth and power, perhaps a bit more than was strictly healthy. The king made him a bit uncomfortable, he had to admit, but his daughter…Aurora seemed lovely. Phillip really would like to get to know her better.

He hadn't expected Stefan to propose a marriage, though. That was a little more than bargained for. If the stories of the princess's curse were to be believed, then the king had only just reunited with her and now was trying to marry her off. What kind of father did that?

And then there was that whole thing with the faerie incased in glass in the throne room…creepy.

Phillip had given his own father his impressions of King Stefan in his letter, at the same time begging for the chance to get more of a read on the princess. Aurora had stayed silent during the whole conversation, but her eyes had said volumes about how uncomfortable she was. He was hoping she would be a bit more grounded than her father.

Crossing the room with bare feet, the prince enjoyed the feeling of the soft carpet against his skin. Okay, so a bit of opulence wasn't all bad. He grasped the golden doorknob and pulled the heavy door open to reveal Aurora's man servant. Phillip recognized him as the one who was standing behind her throne earlier that day.

The man swept into a low bow.

"Please excuse the interruption. The Princess Aurora would like to extend an invitation for Afternoon Tea, if you are not otherwise preoccupied. Should you wish to accept, I will escort you to her receiving room."

Prince Phillip nearly tripped over himself scrambling to find shoes.

"Of course! It would be my deepest honor!"

The servant did not reply, instead waiting silently by the door until Phillip was ready. When the prince joined him, he turned and started down the hall. As they walked, Phillip eyed the man carefully, taking in the scratches on his face and his suspicious eyes that darted around the corridor constantly.

"You do not seem like much of a servant."

Oh, curse his runaway mouth. He hadn't meant to say that.

"Apologies."

"Sorry. I just meant that you seem to hold yourself differently from most of the servants I've met. I meant no offence."

"I can assure you, Your Highness, I am not like any servant you have ever met."

Whatever that was supposed to mean. Still, if Phillip had judged her right, Aurora was probably the type to get close to her staff. If this man was her personal servant, then he was definitely someone Phillip wanted to be on good terms with.

"What is your name, if I may ask?"

The man sent him a sideways glance, clearly taking his measure.

"Diaval. Most noblemen do not bother to ask the names of servants."

A smirk tugged at Phillip's lips.

"I am not most noblemen."

The man, Diaval, apparently didn't find him nearly as funny as he found himself and simply turned his eyes back to the front. More silence stretched between them until, finally, Phillip broke it once more. He never had been very good with silence.

"So, what does the princess think of this whole marriage situation? I have to admit, I was rather unprepared for it."

"You are both young, there is time for you to figure out precisely what it is you want." Diaval looked at him again, pinning him with a stare that spoke of more experience than Phillip had seen in the eyes of anyone else that age. Not that he was really one to talk. "Just do not wait too long. There is nothing you will regret more." Then the moment was gone. "The princess will speak to you of her opinions on the matter at Afternoon Tea, I am sure. She has never been one to hide what she thinks."

"You speak as though you have known her for quite some time."

"I have known her for her entire life."

"But didn't she just return to the castle? Did you come with her?"

"Indeed." He paused briefly to open a door, even more ornately carved than Phillip's own, and held it for the prince. "We have arrived. Princess Aurora awaits you."

As soon as Phillip was inside, the man slipped past him to begin preparing tea. The princess herself sat at a table laid out with an assortment of treats and sandwiches. She rose to greet him, her pale pink dress beautiful in its simplicity and her blonde curls tumbling down around her shoulders. It was quite a change from the heavy furs and velvets she'd been dressed in earlier. She curtseyed and gestured for him to take a seat. He accepted.

"I am so glad you accepted my invitation, Prince Phillip. I was afraid you might be tired from your travels."

"You are most gracious, and I am appreciative of having the company. I must admit, I also have been quite curious to get to know you more."

"Ah, yes…Because of the king's proposition."

It did not escape his notice that she said 'the king' and not 'my father.' Her subtle undertone of displeasure did not escape him, either.

"You would not wish to marry me? The arrangement would likely be very beneficial for both of our kingdoms."

A china cup was suddenly placed rather forcefully in front of him and he found himself staring into the baleful glare of the man servant. They held gazes for a moment before he turned away to serve the princess her own tea, much more gently. Aurora laughed lightly.

"Please, don't mind Diaval. He can be a bit protective and there has been…a lot going on." The pain and sadness in her voice told Phillip that there was much more going on, indeed, than could be seen from the surface. However, the princess was smiling again and moving on with the conversation before he could dwell too long on her expression. "To answer your question, I am not opposed to the thought of marriage, nor to it being to you. It is simply that I would prefer to know the person I am to spend the rest of my life with a little bit more. Does that make sense?"

Phillip sagged back in his seat with relief, despite how un-princely he knew it looked. A smile broke out across his face.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear you say that. In my kingdom, it is tradition to marry for love, though political marriages do exist as well. I would like to marry the woman I fall in love with, be that you or someone else."

He hoped that didn't offend her, like she thought he was saying she wasn't good enough. From everything he had seen so far, she most certainly was. Most certainly.

"I am glad we are on the same page on that topic then. Tell me, Prince Phillip, what do you think of the king? I want your honest opinion."

Phillip looked deep into her eyes, hesitating for just a moment before deciding that he would give her just that. He prayed he was not about to make a grievous mistake and ruin any chances of an alliance between their kingdoms. His father would kill him.

"In truth, My Lady, I am not quite sure what to think of him. The tales of his prowess in battle are great, but I cannot tell how much of that is augmented by rumor. He certainly knows his way around the courtroom, despite not being royal by birth." He glanced down at his hands, playing with his fingers as he considered his next words carefully. "I do not believe that this wedding arrangement he has in mind is all that he claims. I think he means to…come out on top."

He glanced up at Aurora, hoping he hadn't misspoken, the same thing he seemed of have spent most of the conversation hoping. Her small smile, though, encouraged him to continue.

"And then there is this whole business with Maleficent. I understand that she is a great enemy of yours and, you in particular, I could understand hating her. I just can't feel right about locking someone in a box like that and putting them on display." His voice betrayed more horror at the notion than he had meant for it to. This was the woman who had cursed the girl he was drinking with, after all.

Aurora's smile only widened though and Diaval came to stand behind her, expression less stern and more thoughtful as he surveyed Phillip calculatingly. The princess glanced up at her servant and waited for him to give her a small nod before turning back to Phillip.

"I'd like to tell you a story, another version of a tale you already know, if you'd care to listen."

The prince leaned forward in his seat, tea and snacks even more completely forgotten than they had been previously. He had been right, there was more going on here than it initially appeared.


	5. Paternal Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Stefan and Aurora have a conversation about priorities and it proves very...enlightening.

Aurora was surprised when the king burst into her sitting room, where she was nibbling on a small finger sandwich to assuage her hunger until dinner. She had already finished tea with Phillip, an extremely enlightening experience, but they'd been so busy talking that they hadn't taken much time to actually eat and it left her ravenously hungry. Diaval was currently escorting the prince back to his chambers…They wouldn't want him to get lost again, after all.

To her immense pleasure, Phillip had been severely distraught over the truth of Maleficent's story. The faerie's selfless act had spurned his anger towards the unjust actions of Stefan. He had stood as if to go confront the king himself, had Aurora not called him back. It warmed her heart that he was so ready to defend her godmother and, despite his still-unhappy face, she could tell it pleased Diaval, too. The crow's once-easy smile was much harder to come by now, but she had known him long enough that she could still read his expressions well enough.

It had been obvious that they were going to bring the prince into their rescue party. Things would be much easier with three people and Phillip had more experience dealing with a court than Aurora and Diaval combined. Plus, he had a bit more leeway as to what he could get away with as a foreign dignitary. He would be an invaluable resource, though Aurora didn't quite like thinking about it in such terms.

They had parted with the agreement to speak again on the matter soon. Namely, they were getting together to talk about plans that evening, under the guise of taking a stroll through the gardens. It would be a quiet place for them to talk in private and it was Aurora's favorite part of the castle, anyway. It reminded her of home, of the Moor.

Besides, no one would question the three of them being together since Phillip had already stated his wish to get to know her better and it would be quite inappropriate for a young lady and man to be alone together. The members of the court would most likely assume Phillip was courting her already and be overjoyed by the turn of events. If Phillip and Aurora fell in love, his father would be all the more likely to agree to the marriage. After all, who could deny the power of true love?

She had not expected King Stefan to come barging into her chambers just minutes after the prince had left, looking generally agitated and clearly worrying over some issue or another. She had never seen him so worked up, not that she had seen an over-abundance of him. Her heart clenched in fear that they had already been found out. But how? Surely no one would recognize Diaval as Maleficent's winged servant.

Had they already sent guards to get Diaval? Was he being locked in the dungeons already? Or worse…If he resisted capture, which Aurora had no doubts he would, could it be that her friend was already dead? And what of Phillip? Would he fight for Diaval's freedom? Would he be able to rescue Maleficent after she and Diaval were gone? Would he even risk it? There were too many questions.

The king immediately set to pacing the room.

"Aurora, I understand that a girl of your age likely has no desire to be married. You are still young, but we cannot miss this opportunity. Prince Phillip is a worthy husband and you can be sure I will negotiate a due reward for us out of the arrangement."

Oh, that's what this was about. Aurora felt herself relax just a little while the king continued to talk. Well, rant.

"With Alfstead's military power, combined with our own, we'd have a good chance to take the Moor! Besides, what the prince said in the throne room today was true. They are a great agricultural resource. Their mines would be able to supply our ironworkers with endless material. This marriage, it's what is best for the kingdom."

"I understand, My Lord."

Aurora dipped into a light courtesy as Stefan turned his gaze upon her. It took him only a few strides to cross to her and take her face in his hands.

"You truly do look just like your mother, Aurora, and you are as concerned for your kingdom and subjects as she ever was." His face softened, surprising the princess. "I do not know what to do with a daughter."

If her surprise hadn't shown on her face before, it certainly did now. The king released her and turned away, surveying the room.

"I sent you with the faeries when you were only a baby, hoping to destroy Maleficent and rid you of your curse. I was trying to save you. Now though, I have a sixteen year old daughter I know nothing about and you have managed to save yourself." When he looked at her again, there was pain in his eyes. "I have no practice being a father, only a king and a general. I do not know how to care for you other than to give you pretty things." He gestured at the room. "I do not know who you have grown to become."

His eyes slid away again, distracted by something in the middle distance.

"I want you to know, Aurora, that I do love you. I just do not know how to show it. This whole ordeal with Maleficent…I feel as though she has robbed me of everything. How is it possible that one faerie could cause so much damage? I lost your mother to her and I feel, in having to send you away and keep you away all these years, I have lost so much with you as well. Even in breaking her curse, I still feel its weight upon my shoulders."

Aurora could see the touch of anger and malice returning to his eyes. The more he talked about Maleficent, the more pronounced it became. He squeezed his eyes shut and seemed to have to physically regain control of himself. The princess bit her lip in worry. Who was this man who proclaimed his love for her, yet seemed so wrapped in the throes of madness? When the king looked at her again, it was with clear eyes once more.

"What I'm trying to say, Aurora, is that this marriage isn't about me trying to get rid of you. I just…don't know what to do with you."

If she hadn't been so overwhelmed by the amount of emotions her father seemed to be displaying, that last bit might have annoyed her. She didn't need to be 'done with.' But…he was trying. That had to count for something, right? Maybe there was hope after all.

"We can work things out, father. It's okay, if we don't know each other very well yet. We have time to learn."

Hope blossomed in the princess's chest. Could it really be so easy? If she talked to her father, and she was starting to see him as that again, would she be able to derail his plans of Maleficent's capture? Could they overcome the madness that had afflicted him? Together?

He wrapped strong arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest. She could feel the strength in his limbs and, for the first time, she felt more protected by him than scared. Yes, they would be able to figure this out. After all, how could he stay angry with Maleficent after he learned how she had given herself to take Aurora's curse? Surely, that would move him.

The king rested his chin on top of her head, stroking her hair gently with one hand. Though he had no experience as a father, his instincts guided him in the right direction.

"I remember the day she cursed you like it was yesterday. I had never been so afraid in my life. I remember the look in her eyes as she made me kneel and beg before her, her smile right before she crushed my world to pieces."

He pulled Aurora closer, as if holding her would take away the pain of that day. It took him a minute to push through the pain of the memory and begin speaking again. The princess's heart ached for him as only a daughter's could. This new side of him, the tender, loving side that she had hoped to find when she had first come to the castle, made it so hard to hate him, so hard not to think of him as her father. How could this possibly be the same man who had locked her godmother away and tried to kill her for years?

"For as long as I live, I will never forget those words she spoke. I think of them every day. 'This curse will last until the end of time. No power on Earth can change it.' I can only pray you never feel the fear I felt that day."

Stefan continued to speak, but Aurora was no longer listening. Instead, his words echoed through her head over and over again, on repeat.

This curse will last until the end of time. No power on Earth can change it.

No, no. Diaval have remembered it wrong. He hadn't been nearly so affected by that day as Stefan. He wouldn't have paid as much attention, trying to keep an eye on possible danger towards his Mistress. They'd all been wrong.

No power on Earth can change it.

So how had Maleficent taken the curse?


	6. Help or Hinder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to save Maleficent, they're going to need all the help they can get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to make a note right quick that I am aware Diaval is a raven. I chose to call him a crow in this story for the sake of the title.

Diaval clung to the back of his borrowed steed like a burr. The horse was one among many at the castle and he was sure no one would notice its absence for a little while. If they did, he could always claim that Aurora had needed him to go on an urgent errand and he hadn't had time to tell someone. Technically, it was true.

He glanced at the sky, at the sun creeping closer and closer to the horizon and urged the horse faster. Aurora and Phillip would be meeting in the gardens, a maid observing from a respectable distance. Hopefully, she would stay far enough back that they would be able to talk in privacy. For now, he just needed to focus on his destination.

When he had returned to Aurora's room after guiding Phillip back, he'd found the princess huddled on her couch, tears streaming down her face. It wasn't the first time she had cried since they had found her godmother, but it still made Diaval's heart ache to see. He sat beside her, gathering her in his arms and rocking her gently, his own eyes wet with emotion.

He hadn't realized that her tears were for something more than they had been previously until he was able to make out what she had been muttering the entire time.

"We were wrong, we were wrong!"

He'd managed to calm her enough to get the full story out, but it had nearly been enough to send him into his own panic attack. If the original curse was so that nothing could change it, how had Maleficent managed to do just that? It didn't make any sense.

Aurora had looked at him, tears still streaming down her face, like he held all the answers. The problem was that he didn't. His time with his Mistress had taught him a lot about magic. He had watched her almost constantly, enamored by her grace and presence. It was inevitable that he picked up on a few things. She had never stopped to explain how everything worked, though, and he had never asked. He regretted that lapse in judgment now, despite the truth that he couldn't have known what was to come and how vital that information would be.

They needed someone who knew about magic and how it worked. They needed a faerie…and Diaval had three in mind. They might not be the brightest, but he was sure he could get them to help if it was for Aurora. Despite their silliness and constant shenanigans, Maleficent had once confided in him that the three tiny faeries were actually rather powerful. They had been around long before Maleficent was born and had been the ones to guide her through first learning how to use her own magic.

She'd also mentioned it had been more like a self-taught class.

Still, Flittle, Thistlewitt, and Knotgrass were their best hope to finding out what had happened to his Mistress. So Diaval would find them.

They hadn't been in the Moors when the crow had left, and he doubted they would return. Without Maleficent, the Moors were no longer safe. It was only a matter of time before Stefan invaded, though it would not be an easy win for him. He was silently glad of that, for he did not fancy another trip through the wall. It had nearly torn him to pieces the first time through.

They also had not been at the castle with Aurora, which would have been Diaval's next guess. The flower pixies loved Aurora, no matter what was said for their abilities to care for her. It was likely only their fear of Stefan that kept them away. If the curse had taken hold on his daughter, there was no guarantee he wouldn't have killed them for letting her back too soon. Diaval certainly wouldn't put it past him.

That left one place that Diaval could think of for the little faeries to go. He rode hard toward the forest, trying to ignore the awkwardness of straddling a horse. He had never had cause to ride one before and found the arrangement distinctly distasteful. How did humans deal with the chaffing and rubbing and bouncing around like a stick in the rapids? Still, it was faster than going on foot, and he had no doubts that time was of the essence.

There wasn't anything Diaval wouldn't do for his Mistress, though. He would follow her to the ends of the Earth, even if she told him not to, and now he was going to bring her back from them. She didn't believe in true love, that much was clear, but Diaval couldn't think of anything else to describe what he felt for her.

It was like a burning in his chest, deep down. It wasn't uncomfortable, but warming and that warmth spread through his entire being when he watched her. She liked to pretend she was closed off and cold, but she often smiled while she watched Aurora play with the other creatures of the Moor. She smiled when she thought no one was looking, but Diaval was always looking.

So many of her fellow faeries feared Maleficent for her power, but Diaval couldn't bring himself to. He heard the things they whispered in soft voices, how she was incapable of love and how Stefan's actions turned her heart to ice. (They did, at least, all acknowledge that it was Stefan's fault. For all they feared Maleficent, they did not hold her actions against her.)

The way Diaval saw it, though, was that Maleficent had to be able to love. Without that intense depth of feeling on one side of the spectrum, there was no room for depth on the other. Any being capable of such extreme hatred and agony had to be able to feel love and happiness to the same extent. Otherwise, the hatred would be meaningless. One could not exist without the other.

The reason Stefan's betrayal had hurt her so much was because she had loved him to begin with. That love just hadn't been enough. In the end, it had turned to hate. He couldn't know if Stefan had loved her or not, in the beginning. If he had, Diaval had to marvel at what could have been enough to break that love.

After so many years in his Mistress's service, Diaval knew he was utterly devoted to her. He no longer served her because he was repaying a debt, but because he could not imagine a life without her in it. How could he go back to being just a bird when he had seen so much of the world, understood it in ways that a crow could not? Even if he did not love Maleficent, he would not be able to go back.

But he did love her, more than he could possibly express through the little tasks she gave him. He'd realized it years ago, not long after he had learned what the concept of love was from listening in to a conversation between a couple of young girls. Perhaps they hadn't been the most scholarly of sources, but their answers seemed to fit his questions…not that they'd ever talked or the girls had even seen him.

He shook the thoughts from his head as the old cottage where Aurora had spent the first sixteen years of her life came into view. He didn't need to be distracted. The building was as ramshackle as always, but its tenacity had him pretty convinced it would still be there long after the rest of them were gone. He dismounted clumsily and tied the horse to a tree.

He kept his footsteps light as he approached the building, not wanting to alert its inhabitants and cause them panic. The last thing he needed was a burst of magic to the face. No, he needed to appear nonthreatening. There was nothing he could do if he couldn't get them to talk to him.

He knocked lightly on the wooden door to the cottage before pushing it gently open. The place looked almost exactly the same as it had been the last time he'd been there, barely a week prior. It was the feel of the place that was so startling. The air itself felt heavy and dark, the entire place held down by the weight of Aurora's absence.

"Hello? Is there anyone home?"

He stepped further into the room, but received no response. He really hoped the pixies were here. Otherwise, he wouldn't know where to even start to find them, especially not without wings.

"Please, I'm not here to hurt you. I need your help."

There was a muffled rattle in one of the cupboards and Diaval turned toward it. He was silent for a few moments waiting for an answer. When none came, he spoke again, approaching the cabinet with care.

"Aurora sent me. We need your help. Please, it's very, very urgent."

There was more rattling and hushed arguments before the cabinet door creaked open an inch. Knotgrass's disapproving frown, so much smaller now that she was back in her pixie form, peaked out at him…or maybe more like glared. He could see Thistlewitt and Flittle trying to see around the stern faerie.

"Why would Aurora send you? You're Maleficent's servant."

Diaval couldn't help smiling a touch, relieved beyond words that they were at least talking to him.

"Yes, but something terrible has happened to her. Aurora and I are trying to save her but we can't do it alone. We need information about magic."

"Aurora! She's okay!"

"How is she doing?"

"Ladies! SHHH! I will handle this!"

The other two pixies drew back and bit and Knotgrass turned her disapproval on Diaval once more.

"Maleficent cursed Aurora. There's no reason for the girl to want to save her."

Diaval almost sighed at the obliviousness of the faeries. Did they really not notice where Aurora had been so often?

"Maleficent somehow did something to the curse, took it off of Aurora and onto herself. Now she's trapped in the sleep and a prisoner of Stefan. Please, you must help her!"

Diaval wasn't above begging if he needed to, but the pixies weren't paying attention. Thistlewitt pushed herself forward.

"But that's impossible! The curse couldn't be changed!"

"I know, I know. But somehow she did. That's why we need your help."

Knotgrass pulled the other two faeries back into the cabinet, shutting the door with a decided click. Diaval could hear more arguing, muffled, and resisted the urge to run his hands worriedly through his hair. Maleficent had always hated that habit.

After a few minutes, the cabinet swung open again.

"Alright. We'll help you."


	7. A Stroll in the Garden and a Book of Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phillip and Aurora have some time to talk before Diaval gets back and the pixies have done some research on the problem they now face.

Aurora glanced over her shoulder at the maid following behind them at a distance. Phillip followed her gaze before turning back to the path ahead. He leaned towards her a bit, speaking in a hushed voice that was not quite a whisper.

"At least she is far enough away that we can have a conversation."

"I know, it just makes me so uncomfortable to have someone watching me."

Phillip gave her a quizzical look.

"Isn't that what Maleficent and Diaval did for years?"

"Yeah, I guess. But it was different when they did it. It didn't feel so…oppressing. Don't you feel oppressed?"

Phillip shrugged, at ease enough in her presence to not worry about having to put on courtly airs.

"I guess I'm just used to it. Being raised in the court has taught me not to be bothered by it. I'm not sure I know what it's like not to have eyes on my every move."

Aurora's own eyes were wide as she stared at him.

"How awful! How did you put up with it?"

"I didn't know anything else. I suppose it is not so hard as it seems."

"I just can't imagine it. Even since I've been here, it's mostly been Diaval with me. He hardly counts anyway, but he spends most of his time looking outward and watching everyone else. I guess I'm just so used to having him and Godmother around that I don't even notice."

The two jumped as a voice spoke from right behind him.

"Take care what you speak of in the open."

"Diaval!" Aurora hugged the man tightly before pulling back to look at him. "You're back sooner than I expected."

Diaval glanced around them, making sure there was no one watching.

"I was lucky. The pixies were in the first place I looked and they were relatively easy to convince."

He reached for his satchel and dumped it out on the ground, sending the three disgruntled pixies tumbling across the grass. Knotgrass shook one tiny fist at him upon righting herself.

"That is no way to treat a lady! I still don't understand why we had to go in that dreadful sack!"

Diaval smiled wryly.

"If Stefan were to catch you here, I don't think he would treat you very kindly. He's got this thing against faeries, I'm not sure if you've heard."

Knotgrass was about to retort before she was distracted by Aurora's cry of 'Aunties!' and was swept into an embrace. All three pixies tittered around their little girl, making a fuss about her hair and how pretty her dress was.

"And who're you?"

Thistlewitt had her arms crossed, hovering in midair in front of the prince's face. His eyes were wide with wonder and a smile had crept across his lips. At being addressed, he took a step back to bow without knocking into the small creatures.

"I am Prince Phillip of Alfstead. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"Oh! A prince! How lovely!"

Flittle flew over to join her sister in investigating the new addition, but Aurora knew from experience that she needed to get things back on track if anything was to get done. The pixies were far too easy to derail.

"Aunties, aunties!" They turned at the urgency of her voice. "I am not sure how much Diaval has told you, but we need your help."

"He didn't tell us much before he shoved us in that bag. The nerve!"

Knotgrass was getting worked up all over again, but luckily Thistlewitt was as excitable as ever.

"He told us Maleficent took your curse, even though the spell said it couldn't be changed!"

Flittle nodded beside her before saying, "Oh, yes! I haven't the slightest why she did it, though! Why place a curse on someone just to try and change it?"

Aurora grinned sheepishly.

"Well, you see…Maleficent and Diaval have been watching over me since I was a baby. I've been spending the last few months with her in the Moors, meeting all the creatures there."

"WHAT?!" Knotgrass's face was so red it looked like she might explode. "I can't believe the danger you put yourself in!"

"No, no! Godmother would never hurt me! She may have made some mistakes in the past, but she was just angry! She's not a bad person!"

If anything, Knotgrass only looked worse.

"Godmother?!"

Aurora shifted uncomfortably, wringing her hands with worry.

"Look, that's not the point! We have to help her, and in order to do that we need to understand how she changed the curse!"

Knotgrass drew herself up and crossed her arms over the chest, clearly still not happy in the slightest.

"Well, the girls and I had some time to discuss it while we were in that bag of Diaval's."

As was usual for the faeries, they immediately began interrupting each other.

"It's been so long since we've seen someone do it, we'd nearly forgotten!" Flittle interjected.

Thistlewitt's curls bobbed as she nodded.

"We had to go into the Great Book to even think of it!"

"Girls!" The other two quieted down at Knotgrass's yell, looking very chagrined. The pink pixie smiled in that way of hers that said she was very annoyed. When she spoke again, her voice was tight with barely restrained anger. "What I was trying to say is, I believe we've figured it out. Here, we'll show you."

The three pixies joined hands and did some quick magic that Aurora couldn't quite follow. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. It was just so amazing! Meanwhile, on the grass below them, a book began to form.

Its spine and covers were of a heavy bark, runes of some sort carved into the front. The pages were leaves, some large enough to act as pages on their own while others were stitched together by various natural elements. There was a feel about the book that made it seem ancient and powerful. A glance at Diaval showed his eyebrows raised. Apparently, he'd never seen anything like this either.

Thistlewitt clapped excitedly and did a quick spin.

"This is the Great Book! It's a collection of powerful spells and rituals since the very beginning of the faerie race! It's older than any of us!"

"So be very careful with it!" Knotgrass scolded.

She and Flittle turned the pages of the book until they reached the one they were looking for. At their size, they had to work together. Each page was as big as the two of them together. The two humans and one crow-turned-human gathered around, peering at the indecipherable writing. Knotgrass looked smugly up at them as she began to explain.

"You see, this spell here-"

"No, no! I want to tell them!"

"There are rules, Flittle! I tell this time, you tell next time! You got to tell Aurora about her father and the curse! That makes it my turn!"

"No! That makes it my turn!" Thistlewitt darted forward, all but knocking Knotgrass out of the way. "This spell is to contact East! The curse Maleficent cast was that no power on Earth could change it, but the ancient powers aren't from Earth!"

Diaval's brows had come together and a frown marred his face.

"So this 'East' lives where? Among the stars?"

"Something of the sort. East isn't actually a physical being, you see." Flittle explained.

"And you can contact this power? Like Maleficent must have? Maybe it can give us the answers we need."

"Certainly!" Flittle continued, actually smiling at Diaval for the first time. "It will take all of us combined to pull it off, and only one person will be able to talk to East."

"It would probably be best if it wasn't one of us!" Thistlewitt added. "We'll need our concentration to hold onto the spell!"

"It'll be me. I'll talk to East."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oho! Who's going to talk to East? Let me know your guesses!


	8. From East to West

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every bargain has a price. In any trade, one must give in order to receive...

Diaval wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but total blackness wasn't it. The darkness seemed endless in every direction, though he couldn't be sure it wasn't just his imagination lending depth to what had none. There seemed to be no light source but he could see himself clearly, if nothing else. His feet felt as though they were set against solid ground. An illusion, perhaps? Or the ground was a magical force of its own?

"I will give you this, you are more clever than most who come here. I can smell it on you."

Diaval whirled, his jacket whipping out behind him, to face the speaker. His skin was dark, much like Stefan's Captain of the Guard, with short-cropped hair and trimmed beard that just surrounded his mouth. Shrewd eyes watched the crow calculatingly.

"Are you East?"

The mouth, which had been smiling slightly, twisted into a scowl.

"I am West, Father of North, Representative of South. I have no ties to East. East," he gestured to one side as if to indicate the darkness around them, or perhaps the direction, "does not exist in such a corporeal form as my own. Is that so hard to understand?"

Diaval swept into a low bow immediately, hoping to undo the damage he had unwittingly done. This was certainly not a good start to the conversation.

"Forgive me, Great West. It seems my information was faulty and I beg your understanding. No offense was meant, I assure you."

The small smile was back and West began walking towards him, each step ringing like a horse's hoof on stone.

"More clever than most, indeed. What brings you here in this form that is not your own, crow?"

"I have come seeking your assistance on a matter that means a great deal to me. My Mistress has fallen under a curse, though I do not know how. I have come to believe that she may have come to you about it."

"Your Mistress?" The man, or perhaps it had just taken the shape of a man like himself, paced slowly around him, examining him from every angle. "Ah…Maleficent. Yes, I remember her coming to me with quite an interesting proposition. You go to great lengths for someone you could be now considered free of. Unless you only wish her return so that you may regain your true form?"

Anger flared in Diaval's chest at the insinuation, but he tamped it down. He had already made one misstep with this power. He could not afford to make another one. The price would be too great, far too great, if West decided to refuse them his knowledge of the situation.

"You can be certain that is not the case. So long as my Mistress is imprisoned in her curse, I will strive to free her. She has given me new meaning and purpose in my life and I mean to see that through to the end. I will serve Maleficent for as long as she will have me. I cannot return to the life I had before, nor do I wish to."

There was a moment of silence as West watched Diaval's face. The crow wasn't sure what he was looking for but he apparently found it because he nodded shortly.

"You love her."

Lifting his chin, Diaval met the piercing gaze without flinching.

"With all of my heart."

"Then the next question becomes why. Why do you love her? Is it her beauty or power which captivated your attention? Such a thing would be understandable. I have seen her and she has a form that tempts even one such as myself."

Diaval could see Maleficent being with someone of such power, though it pained him. In truth, it would only be in someone like West that she would find her equal. He was so caught up in the discomforting thought, it took him a moment to answer.

"It is true that her power and beauty are great. They are things to be admired and, her power especially, occasionally feared. But they are not what make her Maleficent. She has been hurt terribly, but never broken. It is her strength that I find most admirable. Despite everything that has happened, she has never allowed anyone to hold her down.

"She has made mistakes, I will not deny that, but she has learned from them. She is kind, kinder than the world deserves for her to be. Even though she assumed control of the Moors, no creature there has suffered for it. Even when she was so badly hurt herself from her wings being removed, she still saved my life. Even though she cursed Aurora to hurt Stefan, she looked after the girl and now has even taken the curse upon herself.

"After watching all of this, seeing her interact with Aurora as a mother might. After witnessing her growth and healing from the wound she was given…how could I not love her? I have been with her for so long…and I mean to stay with her. Until the end of my days."

There was another pause, this one longer. The silence stretched between them like a sheet, muffling every sensation and not just the noise. Diaval felt it drifting over him, through him, cocooning him and swallowing him whole. Or perhaps it was not the silence at all, but something of West's invention.

"I loved a woman once." Diaval almost jumped in surprise when West spoke, not having expected it after so long in the quiet. "It was a much different time and a much different place. In the end, it was not to be. I had thought the desires of the body reflected those of the mind and the heart, but I was wrong. Oh, don't look so surprised, even I can be wrong."

Diaval cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I am actually more surprised that you are telling any of this to me."

A mysterious smile twitched the other's lips.

"Perhaps for the same reason that Maleficent chose to save your life that day. You have a strange draw to you. It is very compelling."

"So you will help, then?"

"I will, at a price. All others who have sought my council have paid a price, your Mistress included. The price is not always the same, but it is what must be paid for the ending you desire."

"Then name your price, Great West, so that I may pay it. I can assure you there is nothing you can ask that I would not be willing to give. I should warn you, though, I have neither power nor riches."

One dark brow rose, clearly indicating West's intrigue at his statement.

"Very well, then. My price, crow, is your heart."

Diaval didn't even have to think.

"I gladly give my life in service to my Mistress."

A hearty laugh filled the endless space in which they stood.

"Fear not. You will not die from paying my price."

Despite the oddness of his situation, this was what confused Diaval the most so far.

"How will I live if you are to take my heart? I am no medical expert, but it seems like quite the important piece."

Amusement lined every inch of West's face. His smile had turned into a full grin and his eyes twinkled. There was a hard edge to his expression, though, and Diaval felt the tingle along his spine that spoke of danger and the need to be cautious. He could feel the tension in his own muscles and tried to force himself to relax. He had already promised this power his life, he would be able to pay the price.

"I speak of your metaphorical heart, you clever thing, though I see now that perhaps I should have asked for your sharp tongue. That would keep me entertained for quite some time. Still, my terms do not change. What I ask for in return for the information you seek is that you give up in yourself what you love in Maleficent. Clearly, these are the aspects of character that matter most to you.

"You will be relinquishing your ability to love, to care for another being. You will feel no courage or desire for things and beauty. Sentiment will be as an entirely foreign concept to you. It will not be all bad, though. I will grant you that small mercy.

"While you will not feel the positives of the heart, you will also not feel the negatives. That pain you carry with you from only being able to watch your Mistress and never touch her will be gone. You will never again experience fear or sadness, nor hatred for that matter. And that is not all."

Diaval had to swallow down the lump in his throat before he could answer.

"What more could there be?"

The gleam in West's eyes had turned gleeful.

"You are a lucky one on this count, for your heart already belongs to another. While I can take it from you, I shall never truly own it. If your Maleficent returns the feelings you keep locked away and she acts on them, once awakened, I will return to you your heart, so that the two of you may be together.

"This is my deal, take it or leave it."


	9. Over in a Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diaval returns from his conversation with West to pass on what he discovered to the others.

Diaval gasped as he shot into a sitting position, heart pounding in his chest. He distantly registered the pixies startling and felt the tell-tale tension of a spell in the air break. A hand fell on his shoulder and he turned to see Aurora standing next to the bed, concern coloring her face. They had moved to her chambers to perform the ritual, needing the privacy it provided. The bed he sat on was hers.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

The crow rubbed his neck a bit to get rid of the soreness and moved to stand, stretching. He spotted Phillip standing not far off, watching him with that same concern.

"Fine, actually."

A small smile crossed Aurora's face and she gave a little huff of relief.

"Oh, good. What did East have to say?"

"His name was West, actually. He gave me the information I asked for. Maleficent did visit him and he transferred the curse, but not all of the terms stayed the same. That was the price she had to pay."

The concern was back in Aurora's eyes, but Diaval's attention had drifted. It'd been quite some time since he had last eaten and it had been hard for him to eat with the worry about his Mistress. Now, though, the hunger clawed at his stomach and all he could think about was food. Why had he eaten so little lately?

He wondered if he'd be able to get something from the kitchens still.

"Like what? What terms changed?"

Diaval paused and looked at the princess, wondering what it was about her that had drawn him to her in the past. He remembered that warm, affectionate feeling he'd had for her before. Now, he felt nothing. There was no paternal stirring in his chest. Just…nothing.

"The sleep it not eternal. It will not preserve her body as the curse would have for you. As with any faerie, without an exposure to nature she will begin to wither away and die." He shrugged. "The terms to break the spell are still the same, though. True love's kiss will awaken her."

Aurora didn't seem to notice his lack of distress at the news, perhaps too distressed by it herself. The flower pixies, too, seemed more concerned by the threat of a time limit than the oddness of Diaval's behavior. Phillip, however, was eyeing him warily.

There was a time when the keen attention would have impressed Diaval, when he would have been intrigued by the boy and his eye for detail. The crow knew this, knew that he once would have thought the boy clever and perhaps taken a bit more of a liking to him, but the actual feeling was absent. The only thing he felt at the moment was hungry, and perhaps a bit tired. He'd probably head to bed after the trip to the kitchens.

He was startled from his thoughts by Aurora latching onto his arm. Her face peered hopefully up at him, an almost pleading look in her eyes. Clearly, she had just said something to him that he'd missed.

"What?"

She released him, spinning away with a broad grin. It was such a sudden change from her earlier attitude that he should have been curious. Should have been.

"It's the perfect plan!" Clearly, she didn't think he hadn't been paying attention, just that he was confused by what she'd said. "We'll have to figure out a way to break through the glass case, of course, but that shouldn't be too difficult. My father has holes so air can get in, perhaps we can make use of them!" She clapped her hands excitedly, before latching onto Diaval's arm once more. "Then, all you would have to do is kiss her and everything will be fixed!"

Unlike usual, her laughter did not bring even a hint of a smile to his lips.

"What would that do?"

"Well, you love her, obviously. If true love's kiss could come from anyone, it would be you."

He stared at her for a long moment, her enthusiasm dropping just a touch at his lack of reaction. Phillip moved closer, placing and arm around her shoulder and pulling her away from the crow. It was clear that he did not trust whatever changes had occurred during Diaval's conversation with West, not that Diaval cared. He addressed Aurora as though Phillip had never moved.

"I do not love Maleficent."

Her eyes were wide, all traces of her earlier glee gone. Confusion and betrayal marred her expression, twisting her face with more than just a touch of fear. The pixies were a flurry of noise and activity off to the side, but it went completely ignored.

"Diaval?"

Aurora's voice was thin and shaky, suffering from the shock she had just received. The crow rubbed his stomach. With any luck, this wouldn't last much longer and he'd be able to go get food. His stomach was really starting to growl at the lack of sustenance.

"I loved her at one point in my life; I think I can actually still remember the feeling. She was the very reason for my existence, and I would have done anything for her. Now, though, it is a very different story. I do not love Maleficent and, more than that, I cannot love Maleficent. I am physically incapable, you might say."

Aurora was swinging her head back and forth, her entire body shaking.

"I don't understand! How can you say that? I thought…I mean…"

Diaval shrugged and sat back on the edge of the bed, getting comfortable in case this took a while. He'd always been one to get irritated when denied food, but it didn't seem like such a bother at the moment.

"I loved her very much, which is why I stayed with her for so long. When I went to West, he stated that my heart would be his payment for the information. I," he paused, having to consider his own memories for a moment, "was very concerned by the price, but paid it anyway. I thought it would be worth it."

"And now?" Phillip interjected. "How do you feel about it now?"

Diaval considered the question, looking inside of himself to find some shred of emotion.

"I can't say I feel anything at all. Whether the price was worth it or not matters very little to me."

A few tears had begun leaking down Aurora's face and the pixies swirled around her to offer comfort. Thistlewitt shook one tiny fist in Diaval's direction.

"Look at what you've done! You should feel ashamed of yourself!"

The old Diaval would have cracked a smile, maybe thrown out a witty retort. He felt no pull to now, though. There was no point in being anything but bluntly honest.

"I do not believe I can anymore. There is simply…nothing there."

Phillip was frowning, clearly thinking hard about the situation. He relinquished his hold on Aurora to the pixies and moved closer to Diaval, his eyes flickering over the crow's form.

"Is there any way to get your heart back? Or is it gone for good?"

Diaval shrugged.

"There is a way, but it hardly seems relevant. The chances of it coming to pass are all but nonexistent."

Suddenly, Aurora was on her knees beside him, grabbing hold of one of his hands and clutching it tightly. It was uncomfortable and his hand was hot in a matter of seconds.

"Just tell us, Diaval! We can figure it out! You need to get your heart back and then you can kiss Godmother!"

Diaval wasn't quite sure what the big deal was. There was no real desire on his part to regain the feelings he had lost. The situation just…was, simple as that. However, he also saw no point in denying her the information.

"My heart will be returned if Maleficent's feelings are the same as mine were. She must act on them once she awakens if West is to relinquish his price. She does not love me, though, so there is really nothing to be done."

Aurora stayed silent, head bowed and hands still clutching Diaval's. The quiet stretched through the room for several minutes, Phillip and the pixies standing by to simply watch the two who had been as close as family.

Finally, Diaval drew his hand away from Aurora's own, causing the girl to look up at him through watery eyes. He brushed off his coat and stood, heading for the door.

"I'm going to grab something to eat. I will return to my duties in the morning."

"She does, you know!"

Diaval paused and turned back to look at the princess, now standing.

"What?"

"Maleficent, she loves you. I know she does, even if she couldn't see it herself."

Diaval just shrugged and turned away, continuing through the door.

"It matters not. I really don't care."


	10. Late Night Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Phillip gets lost and winds up in the throne room, with the unconscious Maleficent.

Phillip glanced around the throne room, frown pulling at the edges of his mouth. He'd finally gotten Aurora to go to sleep about an hour before and left her in the, questionably, capable hands of the pixies. The whole mess with Diaval had upset her greatly and, though he barely knew the man, Phillip had to admit it upset him, too.

Despite the fact that he had not been overly friendly, it seemed startlingly clear that Diaval was a good man. He cared about Aurora and Maleficent more than anything else and was prepared to do whatever it took in order to keep them safe…and had, as the case would be. It had been so strange to see the man's lack of emotions when he spoke of his lost love for Maleficent. Creepy, even. Phillip shuddered and refocused his mind to the task at hand.

He'd left Aurora to return to his own quarters. It would be improper to spend the night with a Lady, even if he had already made it into the wee hours with her. The castle was dark and deserted as he'd passed through the corridors, casting shadows that changed up the look drastically from when the light of day shone through. The prince had managed to get turned around and, before he knew it, was wondering into the throne room.

The room was cavernous without all of the people crowding it as they had the first time Phillip was there. His footsteps resounded loudly against the stone and echoed across the space, lending the air a haunted sense. He felt his eyes being drawn to the face that held Maleficent as they had been from the beginning and he crossed the room to stand beside her sleeping form.

She looked peaceful in slumber, the sharp angles of her face and horns softening. Phillip could see how those features could turn terrifying and angry, but there was no threat in them as he watched the faerie now. It was both hard and easy to see how all the stories about her were true, the ones from Aurora as well as the ones told by shivering soldiers.

"Um, hello. I'm not sure if you're able to hear anything, as you are, but my name's Phillip. I'm the prince of Alfstead, the neighboring kingdom to the North. I, um, I know your goddaughter, Aurora."

Only silence answered him, but then, he hadn't expected anything else.

"She's very worried about you, you know. I think she'd worry about a complete stranger if given half the chance, but she cares about you a lot. You can see it in the way she lights up when talking about you."

He smiled a bit, disappearing briefly into memories.

"It's not right to keep a Lady in suspense like this, if I may say. It's just not proper. You need to come back quickly, put her at ease." His tone sobered up a bit, becoming more serious. "She needs you."

The only response he got was a light wind blowing through the room, fluttering his cape. He liked to think it was some subconscious form of her magic, responding to his call to arms.

"Diaval needs you, too. He's sacrificed so much to get you back already…that's a debt that must be repaid." His brow furrowed. "Debts are very important to the Fair People, aren't they? The children in my kingdom are taught never to leave a debt unsettled because it might be to a faerie in disguise. They'll take your soul instead."

A moment of silence passed as he stared down at her, Maleficent's face remaining stonily impassive.

"I can't decide if you seem like the type to take someone's soul or not." He admitted to her guiltily. "I think, maybe, you would, if Diaval and Aurora weren't there. They temper you, or maybe just remind you of what it was like not to be broken. What Stefan did to you…there are a lot of people who wouldn't have been able to make it through that."

Phillip meant every word of it, though he wasn't sure why he was expressing it to a slumbering faerie. He wasn't sure why he was having this one-sided conversation in the first place. There was absolutely no logic to it. It wasn't like she could hear him anyway.

"You're strong though. I can tell from all the stories I've heard about you. They go back and forth on whether you're good or evil, but you are always strong. I think that's good. It's important to be strong, and you've set a good example for Aurora with it. She's learning how to be strong too."

A smile stretched across his lips at the thought of the blonde young woman.

"You know, most of the women I've met are just waiting for some knight in shining armor to come sweep them off their feet and take care of them. Aurora isn't like that." He chuckled. "I feel like she's more the type to come rescue me from the dragon." His grin faltered. "But she still needs you. She can't do this all on her own."

He wondered how differently this conversation might go if Maleficent were awake for it. He held one hand out to trail it through the breeze that still swirled throughout the room.

"Diaval was helping her, but he can't anymore. He sacrificed himself just to get information on how to bring you back and, because of that, lost us our only hope of making that happen. Now I don't know what we're going to do. You've caused quite the disturbance with your little stunt here. You should be-"

Phillip cut himself off abruptly as the creak of a door echoed through the chamber. Without waiting to see who it was, he darted behind the thick curtains that flanked Maleficent's pedestal. It hadn't been said that he wasn't allowed in the throne room, but he doubted it would be a very good thing.

Footsteps crossed the room, heading his way, and Phillip felt panic flutter in his chest. What if it was a guard who thought he was an intruder? What if they struck first and asked questions later? If he got killed, his father would go to war. Oh, not good, not good, not good…

"Hello, Maleficent."

The prince was torn between extreme relief at not being discovered, and utter surprise to hear the king's greeting directed at the faerie. There was a tenderness to the tone, too, that Phillip would not have expected. He squeezed his lips tightly together and tried to breathe as silently as possible. The last thing he needed was for Stefan to catch him eavesdropping on his private conversation with his unconscious arch-enemy.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you look so peaceful, but I guess that's probably my own fault. I robbed you of more than just your wings that night, I know."

His voice was laden with regret and guilt, so much so that Phillip's awe was almost overshadowed by the feeling of intruding upon some personal moment. This was not the King Stefan who had sat in the throne room and offered him a political marriage. He seemed a completely different man.

"This isn't how it was supposed to be, back when we were but children and I told you I was going to live in the castle. You never wanted to, but I always said you would be by my side once I got there, didn't I? How could either of us have known this is how it would end up?"

Phillip risked a peak around the edge of the curtain and gaped at the raw, open expression on Stefan's face as he stared down at Maleficent. One bejeweled hand lay atop of the case, thumb stroking the glass. The king's smile was faint and didn't contain a hint of happiness. Phillip withdrew before he could be caught.

"No, you never wanted to go with me. I was never _good enough_ for you." His voice was twisted with bitterness then, Phillip was startling by the sudden change. "The Moors were all you ever cared about and those ridiculous creatures that live there. Oh, you would have been happy to have me so long as I gave up _my_ dreams and _my_ hopes!"

Phillip pressed harder against the stone wall behind him, reacting defensively as Stefan's bitterness turned to anger and his voice rose.

"You had no idea what my life was like! You had respect and power! You were the Guardian of The Moors, the strongest of the faeries! I was nothing! All I had was my dreams and that's what you wanted me to give up! While you sacrificed nothing!"

The sound of footsteps told Phillip that the king had turned away, storming off for a few paces before whirling and coming back.

"I would come live with you in The Moors, Maleficent, and then what? What would I do for the rest of my life? Throw mud around? Make flower crowns? I could never be a part of that world; of your world…There was no place for me there."

There was a knock of the door, followed by the creaking of it opening. Loud footsteps crossed to the middle of the room.

"My Lord, there is a matter that requires your attention. A unit just returned from the Thorn Wall with news of the creatures within The Moors. They have begun attacking our soldiers, Sire."

The deep voice could only belong to Stefan's Captain of the Guard and Phillip felt a shiver of fear. The man always seemed to be watching everything, keeping an eye out for even the minutest threats to the kingdom.

Stefan's boots turned away from Maleficent's pedestal and crossed the room without the man himself saying a word. Phillip let out a tiny sigh of relief as the foot falls faded into the distance.

"Will you be requiring an escort back to your quarters, Prince Phillip?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at how close the Captain had gotten, and in complete silence. The prince slid from behind the curtain, knowing there was no use in pretending he wasn't there.

"I beg your forgiveness, Sir. I simply became lost and did not mean to overhear."

"I am well aware, Your Highness. Shall I call for a servant? They will be able to guide you back without incident."

Phillip searched the Captain's face for even a hint of ulterior motive, but found none.

"Yes, thank you. I really don't think I could handle anymore lost wanderings tonight."


	11. The Fade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maleficent's situation is looking more and more grim...but perhaps there is still a way to help.

"We've got to come up with something. Obviously, Diaval isn't an option anymore, but there still has to be some way to fix this. We have to get out of this weird Limbo or Godmother will never wake up!"

Phillip watched Aurora pace back and forth across her visiting room. Her face was flushed with emotion and her eyes were still rimmed in red from crying the night before. Though Phillip hadn't been able to see her much of the day, he was sure there had been more crying since. The three pixies hovered anxiously nearby, tittering amongst themselves.

Diaval still attended to Aurora as her man servant, fulfilling his duties with speed and diligence. There was no emotion, though, no fondness as there had been before. He simply went about his business and did what needed to be done. If nothing else, it could be said that he was startlingly efficient.

"What are we supposed to do, then?" Phillip asked, truly at a loss. "It's not like true love just falls from trees!"

Knotgrass tutted.

"Well, she's not going to last much longer in that glass box the king has her locked up in. Surrounded by stone and iron…it's only a matter of time before she starts to fade."

Flittle gave a full body shudder, face sympathetic.

"Such an awful thing…It's rather hard to kill a faerie, especially by human standards…but to fade is by far the worst for our kind."

"Perhaps she won't feel it, since she's asleep." Thistlewitt piped up. "At least there's that, right?"

Aurora looked like she might burst into tears again at the thought and Phillip rushed to her, pulling her into his arms. He hadn't meant to and, for a moment, he thought he may have over stepped his bounds. He almost released her, stepping back to apologize, but Aurora buried her fingers in his tunic and held on tight. The prince wrapped his arms around her again and stroked her back soothingly.

He glanced over his shoulder towards the faeries and gave them a disapproving look. He knew they weren't exactly tight lipped, but they should have known better than to take the conversation in that direction. They at least looked apologetic. Taking his chances while she seemed receptive, Phillip dropped a kiss to the top of Aurora's head.

"There has to be something that can stop the fade. What keeps it from happening normally?"

"Just being in nature, we are, after all, creatures of the forest." Flittle answered.

Thistlewitt nodded right along beside her.

"There is a power in nature! As often as we use our powers to make things grow or heal, they give off energy that builds our powers up!"

"Of course," Knotgrass cut in, "not all of us can access as much of that energy. Some can only access enough to keep them alive, but not to perform magic, like the Mud Slingers."

"Others can channel it into all sorts of different abilities, though!" said Flittle.

"Yes, yes! The Water Sprites use it to create the lights for their patterns and we use it for all of our abilities!"

Aurora was pulling away from Phillip now, focusing on the pixie's words but still sniffling a bit. Phillip kept a hand on the small of her back for support and she didn't protest. He supposed that had to count for something. He had to remind himself that there were more important things going on than his infatuation with the princess. If he truly cared about her, he would keep his head in the game and help her solve this.

"What if we brought in flowers and such to the throne room?" he asked. "We could put them around her case and around the entire room. That way King Stefan wouldn't have to suspect anything. We would just be decorating the whole room. I can say it is tradition in my kingdom when courting. I'm sure he would be more than pleased with that."

He snuck a glance at Aurora only to catch her blushing. He knew without a doubt that, when all this was over, he fully intended to court her in earnest. Now was not the time, but it would come. He tuned back into the conversation as Thistlewitt answered.

"It wouldn't work." she stated meekly.

Knotgrass tipped her head in her sister's direction, something of a sideways nod.

"They would sustain her for a short while longer, but it would not be able to stop the inevitable. Faeries must be surrounded by living things. No matter how many cut flowers you brought in or how often you refreshed them, they just wouldn't be enough. Once cut, a plant will not continue to produce the same amount of energy."

Aurora's hands fluttered in front of her like two birds against a pane of glass. It was clear she was searching wildly for something to fix things, to make it all better. She needed to do something, a feeling Phillip knew all too well.

He'd only been eight years old at the time, but he clearly remembered what it had been like when his mother had first fallen ill. He hadn't really understood it at the time. He hadn't been able to comprehend why his mother was always in bed, why she could never come play with him anymore. As the years had passed and she'd gotten worse and worse, though, he had grown to understand. She was sick, dying, and there was nothing to be done. He'd spent the last few months of her life at her bedside, reading to her because it was the only thing he could do for her.

"Isn't there something that can be done? Anything at all?"

The pixies exchanged glances, but their expressions didn't give much hope to the situation. If anything, they betrayed just how little hope there was. It was Flittle who eventually spoke up to deliver the bad news.

"Without actually being able to have her in nature…"

She couldn't bring herself to finish, but it hardly mattered. Aurora's face had lit up, thoughtful but full of hope.

"What if…What if we could get her to nature? What if we could take her to The Moors or the cabin in the woods?"

"Well, that would work," Knotgrass admitted hesitantly, "but how would you get her there? It's not exactly like you can just put her on a horse and send her off."

"Could you…magic her out?"

Thistlewitt shook her head emphatically, curls bobbing wildly.

"Not even Maleficent was capable of that kind of magic!"

"Then we'll have to break her out."

The look in Aurora's eyes was determined, but the fairies didn't look so convinced.

"Aurora!" Knotgrass exclaimed. "That is far too dangerous! I know he is your father, but if Stefan caught you trying to sneak Maleficent out he would have you killed! If he didn't do the job himself!"

The princess's gaze turned pleading.

"You can't know that for sure! He destroyed all those spinning wheels to keep me safe! He may not be very good at showing it, but he does love me! He told me so himself!"

"He said he loved Maleficent, too. Look where that got her." Knotgrass mumbled under her breath, clearly not intending to be heard.

Phillip had been in court long enough to be able to tell when a fight was ready to break out, especially a verbal one. The pixie's comment, though perhaps not untrue, had not been the right thing to say in that moment. He jumped in quickly to smooth things over.

"Either way, it wouldn't be good to get caught. You'll need something to keep Stefan distracted while you get to Maleficent and get her out of the castle."

Her eyes lit up, clearly delighted by his support.

"He's always in meetings. He almost never uses the throne room except for events."

"No, that wouldn't be good enough. It would need to keep him occupied for hours and we'd need to make it so that no one could reach him if you do get caught…or at least not in time for him to stop you…I could distract him."

"You?"

Phillip decided to ignore the insultingly disbelieving note in Flittle's voice. Instead, he kept his gaze locked on Aurora's.

"I could offer to ride out to the borders with him. There was an incident with a unit of soldiers out there. I can offer my assistance as a strategist, see how our soldiers could be able to work together."

The smile that lit up her face was totally worth it.


	12. A Bird From the Cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora sets her plans into action.

The throne room was chill despite the time of day and Aurora felt a shudder run down her spine as she entered it. The stones were dark and seemed to suck the warmth from everything. It hadn't felt like that the first time she had been there, but it certainly did now.

The three pixies hovered close to her back, serving both to protect themselves and her. Phillip had left with her father only minutes ago, but there was no time to waste. Their mission was much too important. The group had snuck through the halls as soon as they had seen the King's escort pass through the gates of the castle.

Aurora didn't actually have to sneak, being the princess she was allowed to go wherever she wished, but it was probably for the best that no one saw her anyway. The less questions asked, the better. Besides, she would hate to get some poor servant in trouble for not being able to stop her. She was under no illusions that her father would be operating in a way that was at all rational once he found out what she had done.

The pixies couldn't risk being seen, though, not even by a servant. Stefan had made it more than clear that any folk of The Moors were to be killed on sight. Not even Aurora would be able to protect them from that. If they were seen, the guards would be called immediately and that would be the end of their rescue mission. Luckily, they were able to reach the throne room without incident.

The princess rushed to her godmother's side, palms pressing flat against the case as though she could make the glass just disappear. She hated seeing Maleficent in such a state. Despite her poise and grace, Maleficent had always seemed so alive. There was a glow to her, a twinkle in her eye, that was absent in this sleeping form. It hurt Aurora to see.

Shaking such thoughts from her head, Aurora began to search the sides of the case for any possible release. She could break the glass, and she was prepared to, but she worried about the shards raining down on her godmother within. The pixies had already stated that they couldn't just vanish the glass.

Other than the holes for air, there seemed to be no seam in where the glass met iron. Stefan's craftsmen truly knew what they were doing. Aurora cast her gaze around the room for something to break the glass with. It was thick, so it wouldn't be easy. Her eyes landed on an iron pole with a spear tip. It was clearly more ceremonial than functional, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. She hurried across the room to grab it.

"What are you planning to do with that?" Thistlewitt asked.

All three of the pixies were clearly nervous, darting around in the air and unable to stay still. Thistlewitt flew a bit too close to the pole before backing away quickly, causing the iron to heat up red. Aurora didn't miss the worried look she shot at the other two.

"I need something heavy to break this glass. I know its iron, but it's the only thing heavy enough to actually do any damage!"

"Ah. So this is where you are."

Aurora spun around, dropping the pole to the ground with a loud clang and staring at the doors with wide, startled eyes. Her heart hammered in her chest, threatening to break free. Diaval didn't seem to be having any such problems, standing in the doorway with a completely dispassionate look on his face.

"Your lunch has been delivered to your quarters, My Lady."

"I'm not hungry. I need to get Maleficent out of this case!"

Diaval dropped his head in a short bow before turning to leave, seemingly content to let her proceed without further reasoning.

"Wait!"

The servant paused and turned back, once more giving the princess his complete attention.

"Yes, My Lady? Is there something you require of me?"

Aurora wanted to scream at him, to hit him just to get that politely interested look off of his face. She wanted to shout that he could give her the real Diaval back, but none of that would do any good. Instead she gestured weakly at Maleficent's prison.

"Do you know anything, anything, that could help us?"

"Her wings are being kept a few floors up in a similar case."

He spoke casually, as though commenting on the weather, but it left Aurora's mind reeling. If she'd been holding anything, she would have dropped it. The pixies were circling excitedly, chattering back and forth.

"If we release the wings, they will return to her!"

"It's true! It's true!"

"Oh, it simply must be done!"

The princess wasn't paying any attention to them, though. Instead, she stepped towards Diaval and lifted her chin high.

"Take me to them."

"Of course, My Lady. Right this way."

He guided the group across the throne room and up a set of stairs off to the side which led up to the balcony. From there, they went up another set of stairs, down a hallway, and stopped in front of a wooden door that was completely unmarked. Aurora tried the door only to find it was locked. She turned desperately back to Diaval.

"Can you open it?"

"Oh, oh! We can! We can!" Flittle zoomed to the front of the group excitedly, waving her hands and sending waves of blue magic at the lock. "Do not block our path. Open this door!"

There was a moment's pause before they heard a click and the door swung open. Flittle giggled and clapped her hands.

"Oh, it's been so long since I last used that spell!"

The room seemed to be in a state of complete disrepair. Priceless treasures lay discarded, covered by dust. A single chair sat with its back to the door, facing a glass and iron case that quite strongly resembled the one that held Maleficent. The coat of dust that had settled over it made it impossible to see inside, but Aurora just knew that these were her godmother's wings.

She stepped forward cautiously, reaching up with a trembling hand to brush the dust away. The moment her hand pressed against the glass, the entire case jerked and rattled. Aurora jumped back, but quickly realized that the wings were alive. They were alive and awake and trying to get out! She shot a beaming grin over her shoulder.

"Come on! We have to get them out!"

She'd left the iron pole in the throne room, but that didn't stop her from scrambling up on the window's ledge behind the case.

"Get out of the way! I'm going to shove it over!"

The other four scattered as she threw her weight against the case. For a terrifying moment, she was afraid it wouldn't budge then it slowly began to tip until gravity took hold and sent it crashing to the ground. Glass scattered everywhere as the case shattered and the wings inside thrashed their way to freedom.

They shot off down the hall and Aurora leapt across the room to chase after them. She could hear Diaval's footsteps racing behind her, probably keeping up out of duty, and was sure the pixies weren't far behind.

The wings were faster than the group and the Aurora hit the balcony just in time to see Maleficent burst from the case, sending glass across the room, and rise into the air. There was a blinding flash of golden light as her wings reattached to her back. They were as stunning as she had always said they were.

"Godmother!"

Aurora's feet flew down the stairs, racing towards the faerie. Maleficent hung, suspended in air, for only a few seconds before she crashed to the ground. Her gorgeous wings crumbled around her, becoming as still and lifeless as the sleeping form they now joined.

Tears streamed down Aurora's face as her knees hit the ground next to the only mother figure she had ever really known. She clutched Maleficent's form to her, sobbing into the faerie's dark hair. She had been so sure, when she saw her rise up to rejoin her wings, that her godmother would wake up. Now that hope lay scattered across the floor like the glass that had made up Maleficent's prison.


	13. A Proper Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phillip tries to make sure Stefan stays distracted long enough for Aurora and the pixies to get Maleficent out of the castle.

Phillip wiped his sweating palms against his riding pants yet again before swinging up into the saddle. It wasn't the horse he was worried about. He'd been riding his entire life. It wasn't even the trip to the wall that was making him so nervous. By all accounts, the creatures there could be vicious but it wasn't like Stefan was planning to attack them when they arrived. At least, Phillip hoped not.

It was the fact he was going on this short journey with the King at all that made Phillip feel so twitchy and apprehensive. In the short time since Phillip had met him, he had seen the ruler flip back and forth between moods like a barmaid between customers. It was downright unsettling to be in his presence, much less to be trying to distract him. The prince sent a worried glance back at the castle as the group set out. He and the King were accompanied by the Captain of the Guard and several soldiers as escorts.

Aurora would be able to handle herself and she had the pixies as back up. If anything went wrong, they would keep her safe. Phillip just needed to focus on his task of keeping Stefan occupied. That shouldn't be too hard. There was no reason for him to turn back to the castle now.

"So what exactly has been happening to the patrols at the Wall? I know there have been attacks, but what are the details?"

That's right, he couched himself. Focus on the cover story for this trip. Phillip was there to give strategic insight. He wouldn't be able to do much, since he only had an outsider's knowledge of the army's battle tactics, but he could keep their attention on the Wall for at least a little while. As long as they were looking forward, they wouldn't be looking back.

Stefan stayed silent, but gestured to his Captain to explain the situation. He'd been in an odd mood all day, Phillip had noticed. He was withdrawn and quiet, not speaking any more than was absolutely necessary. The Captain steered his horse a little closer to Phillips so he wouldn't have to raise his voice.

"It seems the creatures of the Moors have finally learned that we hold Maleficent captive. Before, they had been content to stay behind the Wall of Thorns and hide. Now they have begun to venture out. There were some small, scattered incidents at first. The border guards have joined together, though, and they are quite formidable."

Phillip nodded thoughtfully, nerves calming as he fell back into familiar ground. He'd been taught strategy and the art of war since he could talk. This was an element he was comfortable in.

"What manner of creature are the border guards exactly? We hear talk in Alfstead, of course, but it is impossible to tell what is true and what has been exaggerated. I do believe I remember one account stating that Maleficent had three heads."

Stefan grumbled.

"She is dangerous enough with one, I assure you." His expression was sour, like he had just bit into a lemon. "The guards of the Moors are hideous beasts with skin of bark and moss. They stand twice as tall as a man and three times as strong. They are the foot soldiers of her army."

Phillip mulled the new information over briefly in his mind. They certainly seemed formidable, but a foot soldier was a foot soldier.

"They will no doubt be answering to some kind of commander then, especially if they are beginning to organize themselves. Obviously, it can't be Maleficent."

Perhaps Stefan was coming out of his sullen mood because he spoke again before his Captain could. He did not, however, look very happy about it.

"They answer to Balthezar, one of their own. He has been their leader for as long as Maleficent has guarded the Moors. The two have known each other since Maleficent's youth. He will not be pleased to know of her capture."

The prince blinked in surprise. Somehow, he'd never thought of Maleficent having _friends_ before. He knew he'd only ever seen her asleep, but even in Aurora's stories she had seemed so aloof. He supposed it was a product of having her wings stolen and the darkness that had fallen over her. Was this Balthezar even still a friend or was he just doing his duty? Phillip found himself hoping it was the former.

"I am impressed than you have so much information about the enemy. That is a rare fortune indeed."

The Captain stepped in once more when Stefan's scowl just deepened and he looked away.

"We have been at war with the Moors for generations. It has given us quite some time to amass a bit of knowledge when it comes to their different species and movements. It is simply an added bonus that King Stefan is able to bring us such a unique glimpse of their inner workings. He is a true strategist."

Phillip's brows rose at the Captain's thinly veiled reference to Stefan's past with Maleficent. Judging by the glare the King shot him, Stefan didn't miss it either. It was actually kind of impressive that the dark-skinned man managed to completely ignore them both.

"Well, if this fight is now personal for Balthezar, then they aren't going to give up anytime soon. They will continue to fight until they have Maleficent back."

Hopefully, that would be very, very soon. If everything went according to plan, the Moors would have Maleficent back within a matter of hours. Phillip really hoped everything went to plan, mostly because the plan was very clear on the fact of none of them getting killed.

"Things have always been personal when it comes to myself and the Moors. Since the very beginning, it has been that way! Balthezar was one of the first creatures I ever met from that land. I was only a boy and even then he wanted nothing more than to kill me!"

The King came to a sudden halt, brows pulled together sharply over his eyes. He seemed deep in thought and Phillip felt dread creeping into his bones. The Captain frowned beside him.

"My Lord? Are you well?"

Stefan's gaze snapped back up.

"They mean to kill me! This was all a ruse! They mean to draw me out and slay me! Well, they shall have to try harder! I will not fall for their devilish tricks!"

Before any of them could react, Stefan was yanking his horse around by the reigns and galloping back towards the castle. Panic flared in Phillip's chest. It would take the king only minutes to reach his strong hold and there was no way Aurora would have been able to get Maleficent out so quickly.

He shot after the King. Maybe he could stop him, talk to him. No matter what, he had to do something to stop Stefan from discovering Aurora and the pixies. He could hear the guards behind him and wished he could just make them disappear. He already had enough problems as it was.

The group tore through the outer courtyard of the castle, thundering across the bridge and through the gate. Startled peasants scrambled to get out of the way of their horses, dropping groceries and grabbing children. Stefan paid them no mind, riding with the single-minded tenacity of returning to safety.

He slowed as they reached the inner wall, gazing up at his castle. Phillip and the guards followed his gaze, slowing behind him. A bright golden light was shining through the windows of the throne room and there was absolutely no way of passing it off as anything other than magical.

"Maleficent…"

Stefan leapt from his horse with an agility Phillip honestly hadn't thought the man to possess. He scrambled off of his own mount to race after the man. The pounding of footsteps told Phillip that the guards were following, but he couldn't spare a thought for them. All he could think of was that Aurora was going to be caught. He couldn't let that happen.

The group charged through the halls of the castle. This time it was servants, not peasants, darting to get out of their way. Exclamations of surprise rose as Stefan all but shoved away those who got in his path. Phillip vaulted over those who fell, pushing everything he had into keeping up. If it came down to it, he would stand between Stefan and Aurora in order to protect her.

His boots fought for traction as they rounded the turns of Stefan's halls, but he didn't go down. As much couldn't be said for two of the guards, leaving only one and the Captain left behind the two monarchs. At least if it came to a fight, the numbers would be a bit more even for Phillip. All three of the warriors had been fighting for longer than he had, but he fought for something much greater than duty or country. So long as Aurora's life was on the line, failure was not an option.

Stefan reached the heavy doors of the throne room mere seconds before Phillip did himself. The prince slammed into the door, holding it closed against the king. Stefan's wild eyes turned to glare at the young man.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

"It might not be safe! You can't just go barging in there!"

Stefan just pulled his sword from its sheath in response and shoved Phillip out of the way, all but throwing him into the Captain of the Guard.

"That is not your concern, boy!"

And then Stefan yanked the doors open and entered the chamber.


	14. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stefan storms into the throne room and is confronted by the betrayal of his own daughter.

Aurora jumped in surprise as she heard the doors to the throne room slam open. She whirled around, still clutching Maleficent's unconscious form, to see her father staring back at her. Phillip appeared behind him in moments, panic written across every feature and followed by the Caption of the Guard and a soldier she didn't recognize.

Why were they back so soon? There was no way they could have even made it to the wall. It hadn't been so much as an hour since they had left. Yet here they were, Stefan gazing at her with betrayal in his eyes…Betrayal that was quickly turning towards anger.

"Please, Father, I can explain!"

"Explain _what,_ exactly? How do you plan on explaining what you are doing clutching the very creature who cursed you?"

Aurora wanted him to understand so badly, to just take a moment and overcome his anger. She had seen a different man that day he had visited her in her chambers to talk about the marriage with Phillip. He'd been regretful and loving. She knew that man still had to be in there somewhere.

"She's not the same person she was then! She was hurt and angry and she made a terrible mistake, but she's not evi-"

"Silence!" he cut her off before switching his glare to the pixies, who were hovering close to the princess. Knotgrass's chin was jutting out stubbornly. They would stand by Aurora no matter what. "And you three! How could you let this happen? I never should have allowed you to take care of her, you imbecilic fools!"

"It's not their fault!" Aurora cried out desperately, tears pooling in her eyes.

Stefan snarled at her and she felt a shiver of fear run up her spine. She wished her godmother was awake. She knew she was safe as long as Maleficent was around to protect her. Her grip on the faerie was so tight it had to be bruising.

"I said silence! I will not stand by as my own child betrays me and conspires to release my enemies! Do you honestly feel such guilt over trapping her in her own spell that you turn your back on your very flesh and blood! She would kill you in an instant were she awake to do so!"

"No she wouldn't! She's been watching over me my entire life and keeping me safe! She took this curse on herself just to save me!"

That seemed to bring the king up short for a moment.

"What?"

"It is true, Your Highness." Suddenly, all attention in the room snapped to Diaval, who had been standing quietly off to the side the entire time. He seemed completely unfazed by the strong emotions flying about the chamber. "Maleficent contacted a being of great power so as to transfer the curse from Aurora to herself."

"You were a part of this, then? This conspiracy?"

"Indeed. I came to Aurora when I could not find Maleficent in the Moors. She was the only one I could think of who cared for her as much as I did."

The princess winced at Diaval's use of the past tense, but Stefan didn't seem to notice.

"And you lied to my face as I gave you shelter and a job! You repay my kindness by coming into my home with wickedness in your heart!"

Diaval did not so much as blink.

"I actually don't _have_ a heart at current-"

"I do not have time for this nonsense! There is nothing you can say that will fix this now." Stefan drew his sword from his sheath and began advancing across the room. "I will put an end to this once and for all!"

"No! Please, father! You can't do this!"

"Release that vile creature, Aurora, or I will not hesitate to cut you down with her!"

The princess did not move away, instead squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her face into Maleficent's shoulder. She would not abandon her godmother.

"King Stefan, I beg you to reconsider!"

Like an angel, Phillip was suddenly there beside her father. One of his hands rested on his own sword, clearly ready to draw at a moment's notice. He did not quell in the face of Stefan's rage.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?"

"I just don't think you want to do this, sir, not really. I know that Maleficent has wronged you and caused you no small amount of pain, but killing her will not fix anything. She has already sacrificed herself to save your daughter. Surely that must count for something."

The king's lips twisted into a sneer, the expression ugly on his face.

"There is no act that can redeem her at this point. She will pay for her deeds with death!"

He started forward as if to renew his attack, but Phillip stopped him once again.

"Think of how you would feel if she were to die now, how you would miss her!"

Stefan froze before slowly turning to look at Phillip, dark eyes narrowed hatefully. His words came out as barely more than a hiss, as though he had to force them from his lips.

"How I would _miss_ her?"

Phillip took a step closer to him, both hands held out imploringly.

"Please, Your Highness, I beg of you to think about it. All you ever wanted was to have her at your side. Do you remember? I know this isn't how you wanted things to be."

" _You know nothing!_ "

"I do, King Stefan, I do! I heard you talking to her the other night. I didn't mean to but I did! If you have even a scrap of the affection left for her that you once had, _please,_ don't do this. I can promise you will regret it."

"What does it even matter to you if I kill her now or not? She cannot be brought back from this."

"She is only sleeping!"

"She is only sleeping FOREVER!"

Aurora flinched as the king shouted, but found new determination at his words. She glared right up at him.

"She can be woken up! True love's kiss can break the curse, just as it would have for me! There is still a chance to save her!"

Fury burned in dark eyes as Stefan rounded on her once more.

"Do not be so foolish! Have you not figured it out by now? There is no such thing as true love! That is why she cursed you that way! I never loved anyone the way I loved Maleficent and it still wasn't enough!"

The tears finally came, overflowing Aurora's eyes and dripping down her cheeks.

"That's not true! I know it's not! True love exists!"

Stefan roughly sheathed his sword, surprising all of them.

"Fine then! You want to hold on to your childish beliefs? I will prove to you that they are wrong!"

He reached the two of them in just a few quick steps, out pacing Phillip and ripping Maleficent out of Aurora's arms before she could stop him. Without grace or preamble, he gripped the back of her head and kissed her roughly, almost savagely. The room froze in silence, the occupants too stunned to react.

After a brief moment, Stefan released the faerie and let her fall to the floor once again. He wiped his mouth on the back on his sleeve as if to rid himself of her taste on his lips. His glare never left Aurora's face.

"You see? True love does not exist."

His tone was bitter, filled with enough venom to almost hide the disappointment underneath. The princess just stared at him with mouth agape, unable to process what she had just seen. Phillip still stood behind the king, gawking along with the rest of the room's occupants. A silence stretched across the room but this time it was broken by a small voice none of them had been expecting to hear.

"Diaval?"


	15. Madness Consumed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that Maleficent is awake, but this far from solves their problems.

Maleficent was surprised to see anything other than darkness or the landscape of her dream. She always had the same one, of being in the Moors with Diaval. It was the hard stone beneath her that first alerted her that this time was different. She squinted her eyes open, one hand rising to press against her forehead.

"Diaval?"

Whether this was a dream or a reality, she knew the crow would not leave her side. She felt terrible for having stranded him in his form as a man, but the curse had taken hold of her faster than she had expected. Hopefully things had not been too hard for him.

A sudden flurry of movements and voices distracted her from her thoughts. The sounds were too loud and she clapped her hands over her ears. She started to curl forward to sit up, to try and gain some control of the situation, but was brought up short by a solid weight behind her.

Cautiously, barely daring to hope, she turned her head to glance over her shoulder. Brown and gold wings twitched in movement, seeming to greet her after so many years apart. Her arms wrapped around her body as she finally pulled herself into a seated position, her wings curling towards her front. Their soft feathers brushed her skin and she shivered at the sensation. She reached out with trembling hands to stroke them gently, reassuring herself that they really were a reality.

"Godmother?"

Her wings moved back as her gaze snapped to Aurora. Worried eyes looked out of a face every bit as beautiful and healthy as Maleficent remembered. She could feel a smile stretching across her lips.

"Oh, Beastie…It is good to see you."

"Godmother!"

With a smile that could light up any darkness and tears streaming down her face, Aurora launched herself into the faerie's arms. Maleficent pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead gently. She savored the ability to hold the girl so close once more. They had truly become close over the years.

"Get away from my daughter, you wicked creature!"

Stefan's face was a mask of rage as he stormed forward, sword in hand. A young man jumped in front of him with a sword of his own. Maleficent recognized him vaguely as the man Aurora had met in the woods. It seemed the faerie had missed quite a bit while she was sleeping. The young man stood strong in the face of Stefan's anger.

"Sir, you need to calm down. We need to think about this rationally!"

His tone was a little too panicked to be truly effective, but Maleficent could see the foundations there for a truly great leader. Aurora had chosen well. Unfortunately, Stefan chose to brush aside the other's comment.

"I will not be ordered about by some foreign royal as if this were his realm! Mind your tongue, boy, and step out of my way! Do not think I will hesitate to cut you down just as I will her!"

"Father!" Aurora drew herself from her godmother's arms, but did not move away. "You have to stop this! Is it not clear already that something has to give? Your kiss awoke Maleficent! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

The faerie's gaze snapped to Aurora instantly. Stefan had awakened her? How could that even be possible? The terms she had agreed to with West were the same as she had set for Aurora. Only true love's kiss could break the spell. She hadn't paid much thought to West's monologue about the different forms true love could take, even those so twisted as to not be recognized. It hadn't mattered at the time because she still didn't believe it to be real.

So much had changed since then…She had always known that a part of her would care about Stefan forever, despite what he had done to her. They had too much history for her to be able to erase all of that emotion from existence. It simply wasn't possible. She had never imagined that a part of him would always care for her…not after he had stolen her wings. But, if he did care for her, and it was love, what did that mean for the future?

Would Stefan expect things from her? She knew she could not do that, go back to the romance they'd once had. She would never be able to look upon his face and not see the man who had betrayed her. That feeling of intense passion and love had been ripped away by his actions and then continued to ebb until it was nothing but a distant memory. Looking at his face now, Maleficent could not imagine Stefan wanting to go back to that time either. Was it possible that the mere dregs of a love long ago lost were enough to break the curse?

"Do not speak of things you could not possibly understand! That creature's tricks are endless! She will die for her crimes and you will not stand in my path! You have caused enough trouble already! You will never see the light of day again!"

Stefan lunged forward to attack, but the young man parried his sword and shouldered him aside. The king stumbled back a few paces before turning on the prince. His pose made it clear that the fight was far from over.

"Very well, then. Prince Phillip of Alfstead, if you choose to fight on the side of evil, then you may die with her!"

"Phillip!"

Aurora's horrified shout didn't even warrant a glance as the two combatants locked their swords together. It was probably less that they chose to ignore her and more that there was no safe way to look in her direction. Maleficent reached for her magic, intending to stop the idiocy before either of them could do something regretful, but found it far too depleted to be of any use.

Swords struck one another as Phillip and Stefan danced with death. It was clear that Stefan had the greater skill with the blade and that knowledge did little to quell the worry rising in Maleficent's gut. The three pixies hovered nearby, but they would not have the power great enough to put a stop to this conflict. Their abilities lay much more in the peaceful magics, healing and blessings and the like. Even together, they would not have the focus to pull the two fighters apart without someone getting hurt.

As Maleficent scanned the room for anything that could help, her eyes finally alighted upon Diaval. He stood off to one side, just another dark shadow among many that crept near the walls. His gaze was on the fight, but he seemed unconcerned about the outcome. Just as Maleficent was about the question his state, Aurora latched onto her arm and she was forced to shift her attention.

"Please, Godmother! You have to do something!"

Immediately, she took both of Aurora's hands in her own.

"I cannot, my dear. The curse was held in place by my own power and it has drained me nearly dry. I cannot channel even the magic of what is around me because we are so surrounded by that which is not natural. My body is too weak after my time asleep."

She hoped she sounded as regretful as she felt. She did not want Aurora to think that she chose not to help. In that moment, she wished desperately to be able to just whisk them all away as easily as she once could have. It would take time for her powers to recover…and they simply did not have it.

Stefan's shout of pain drew their attention back to the fight. Phillip had managed a blow to his arm, opening up a wound to slowly bleed. It was by no means a debilitating strike, but it was enough to boost the prince's confidence. Maleficent saw the blow coming before Stefan even moved, but her cry of warning came too late.

As Phillip thrust forward once more, over-extending himself in his excitement, Stefan quickly side stepped and twisted under the prince's arm to elbow him in the chest. Phillip was sent sprawling to the floor, grasping his chest and coughing as all of the air was knocked out of him. The king moved quickly to kick his sword away before leveling his sword at Phillip's throat.

Maleficent and Aurora could not see Phillip's expression, only the top of his head, but the faerie imagined that there must be fear there. Not even she could face death without fear. She clutched Aurora tightly to keep her from running to his side. Stefan was lost to the madness, she could see it in his eyes, and she would rather Aurora be locked away than dead.

Stefan sneered down at the young man on the floor, his expression twisted into something dark and ugly. His gaze glinted with malice and fury. Maleficent wanted to shout at him, to beg him not to take the young man's life, but she knew it would only encourage him. This way, at least, his end would hopefully be swift.

"Well, boy, do you have any last wo-"

The king was cut off as a sword thrust through his abdomen. His own weapon dropped from numb fingers as he gazed at the protrusion dumbly. Trembling hands reached as if to touch it before a violent cough wracked his frame and blood dripped from him mouth.

He stumbled backwards as the sword was ripped out. His gaze found Maleficent's in those few moments and she saw a clearness in his eyes that she hadn't seen since they were children. Pain rippled across his face, and not just pain of the physical variety. Then he was crashing to the side, dead in a way he had intended for Maleficent herself. Above his body, wielding a still bloody sword, stood his stone-faced Captain of the Guard.

Maleficent looked at where the other guard had been, only to find another body in its place. His sword was drawn, clearly in an attempt at self-defense that had failed miserably. Her gaze was drawn back to the Captain as he stepped over his king's corpse and strode purposely towards them, sword in hand.


	16. Of Captains and Birdies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what to write for this summary.

Maleficent wrapped an arm around Aurora as Stefan's Captain of the Guard stepped over his fallen king and stalked towards them. His sword, still dripping with blood, was held at his side. She was still too weak to even struggle to her feet without assistance, but she'd be damned if she let Aurora come to harm.

"Diaval!"

In an instant, he was there, stepping between them and the advancing warrior. His back was to the two women, but Maleficent still couldn't help the nagging feeling that something was just not right. It was in the way his shoulders were set, a little too loose for the current situation. Diaval had always been the sort to worry and pick at an issue. It made no sense that he would be relaxed now.

The Captain paused briefly in his stride to examine his new obstacle critically. Even with his helmet in place, Maleficent could see his scowl firmly in place. Diaval shifted a bit to the side to better block the pair and the fairy's view was cut off.

"Stand aside, servant. While your loyalty is admirable, there is no place for your foolish attempts at self-sacrifice here."

Diaval shrugged in response to the man's statement. Off to the side, Phillip was finally scrambling to his feet. Despite his defeat at Stefan's hand, he seemed ready to give it another go against the Captain. Maleficent had to acknowledge his bravery, at least.

"It matters not to me. I simply follow the orders I am given. It was easiest to maintain the loyalties I had already established than forge new ones. It's not like I really care who I serve anyway."

Alarm bells went off in Maleficent's mind at Diaval's odd words. She also couldn't deny the rush of hurt that they caused her. Diaval did not care who he served? No, something was certainly wrong with that. If there was one thing she had learned about the bird during his years of service it was that he _always_ had an opinion. He lived life based on his feelings and little could persuade him otherwise. Something was definitely going on, something horribly wrong.

During her inner struggle, the Captain once again cast an analyzing glance over Diaval's form. Never dropping his sword, he reached up to remove his helmet and hold it in one hand. His brows were pulled together tightly in concentration.

"I cannot seem to decide if your loyalty runs deeper than any I have seen before, or if it is nonexistent."

Diaval shrugged again, but didn't bother giving a verbal response. In his place, it was Maleficent who spoke up. She needed to end this issue quickly so that she could concentrate on Diaval. Whatever was going on with him, she would fix it.

"You will not be allowed to harm Aurora. Take heed, for your life depends on it."

Her chin was raised high, glaring down her nose at the man even from her place on the floor. She would not give in to her disadvantage. To her surprise, though, a smile crept across the man's face. He lowered himself to one knee, glancing up at Diaval before the crow took one step to the side. The brunette would still be close enough to act should the guard try anything that even resembled in attack.

Setting his helmet aside, the man held his sword out, hilt facing them. He bowed his head in a sign of deference.

"Aurora Stefansri, with your father deceased, all control of the realm and responsibilities of ruling monarch fall to you. I turn myself over to your judgment and mercy for the crimes of conspiracy against the throne and the murder of the king as well as one of my fellow guardsmen. I will abide by whatever punishment you see fit."

Maleficent was stunned by the Captain's actions, but Aurora openly gaped at him. Her godmother watched as the girl visibly pulled herself together. She rose from her position on the floor, moving out of Maleficent's arms but not taking even a single step away from her. Her expression was serious, regarding the man kneeling before her with evident thought.

Looking up at the girl she thought of as a daughter, Maleficent wondered at how much had happened while she was asleep. It was clear Aurora had grown, become a woman while the faery wasn't looking instead of just a girl. There was strength in her, that much was clear. It permeated her voice as she spoke.

"I acknowledge your surrender of arms, Captain, but wish not to pass my judgment so quickly. Pray, tell me your side of the story, for I have learned there is often more than one way to look at things. I have only seen your actions as an outsider and wish to understand why you acted as such instead of just that you did."

The Captain's head bobbed lower before rising to meet her eyes. He straightened his spine and laid his sword upon the ground, though he did not move from his kneeling position.

"I have served under your father since he was crowned King of our land. I led the hunt to find and destroy every last spinning wheel under his command. He rewarded my dedication by promoting me to his Captain of the Guard, for which I was both honored and grateful." He paused, regret heavy in his voice. "However, the sickness which plagued his mind was in him even then."

"The sickness?"

All eyes darted to Phillip, who had moved to stand nearby, hand resting upon his sword's hilt. It was clear that he did not fully trust the man's surrender. Maleficent felt her lip twitch upward as his shrewdness. At least it was clear Aurora had not chosen a fool.

"Aye. King Stefan flew through moods like none I have seen before. It was clear something terrible had gripped his mind for many years. He was a good king when he was in control of himself, but there were just so many times it seemed as though he were a completely different man. He would make demands and shout ridicule at all who surrounded him mere minutes after behaving in a calm, level-headed manner. There were none of us who could make sense of the issue."

His eyes fell, staring at something the others could not see. Pain was clear in every line of his face. He cared for his king, even if he had taken actions against him.

"As the years passed, his condition only worsened. It was nearly impossible which king you would be dealing with at any time, or how long he would remain that way. He began hearing things that none other could hear, having conversations with things that couldn't possibly talk back but responding as if they had."

He cast a furtive glance at Maleficent to accompany his words. She wondered what exactly he was referring to, but decided now was not the time to ask.

"He became more and more unreasonable. I had hoped that your return, your Highness, would calm him, perhaps heal some of the damage that afflicted him. However, your return only seemed to spur him on and, with the discovery of Maleficent, it sealed his fate. At first, I had no intention of killing him, I meant only to help in what little way I could to assist you in gaining Maleficent's freedom."

Maleficent's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she could tell without having to look around that she was not the only one caught off guard by this revelation. Aurora frowned, but it was one of thoughtfulness.

"You meant to help us?"

"Indeed, your Highness, though there wasn't much I could do. I worked to conceal your plans from the king, to clear your paths of guards that might interfere or servants who would ask too many questions."

A sharp intake of air made all the attention in the room shift to Phillip. His eyes were wide and his mouth gaping.

"That is why you hid my presence from the king that night! I had thought you did not want an international incident."

The Captain tilted his head in the prince's direction.

"To be fair, I wasn't too keen on an international incident, either. But, yes, you are correct. I had thought to assist you in distracting the king today, as I was sure some rescue attempt or another was being made. Clearly, that did not work. Once Stefan moved to kill you, I knew I could not wait any longer. His madness had taken too tight of a hold. I am sorry, your Highness."

Silence stretched for a long time as the room waited for Aurora's response. Maleficent never truly had the chance to know her own parents, but she did not think she would have the mercy within her to treat their killer with much kindness if she were to meet him. Still, Aurora had always been far wiser than herself when it came to the goodness in others.

Aurora moved forward the few steps it took to bend and pick up the Captain's sword. Her father's blood was now drying upon its surface as she held it up to look at it. Phillip took one step forward, a hand reaching out as if to comfort or stop her, but she waved him away.

"Captain, it is your sworn duty to protect this realm and her people. You took an oath to follow your king's orders and uphold the laws set forth by him." She sucked in a breath, seeming to steady herself. "Upon hearing your explanation of your actions, it is clear that you knowingly and with forethought betrayed the king you had promised to obey."

Maleficent looked at her goddaughter with surprise. Could she really have changed so much?

"However," a smile broke through Aurora's serious expression, "you acted as you felt was right for the realm. This cannot be overlooked. Therefore, while I find you guilty of betraying your oath, you will not find your punishment in imprisonment or death. You are hereby stripped of your title as Captain of the Guard and another shall be appointed to serve in your place."

"Thank you, your Highness, for sparing my life."

"Rise, Sir. As I can no longer call you Captain, what is your name?"

He swept into a low bow as soon as he was back on his feet.

"Hamish, my Lady, Hamish Greyson."

"Excellent. I think I have a job for you that you would be much better suited for. But let us discuss that later. I believe we have a few more pressing matters at the moment."

As Maleficent's eyes drifted to Diaval, who still had yet to look at her, she found herself quite agreeing.


	17. Once Upon A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get what you came here for. Finally.

Diaval quickly lost interest in the conversation Aurora was having with the ex-Captian, not that he'd held any to begin with. As soon as he ascertained that there was no danger he let his attention wander. What he'd told the Captain, Hamish, was true. It was easier to keep old loyalties than to try and forge new ones without even the memory of why he should feel that way.

He didn't feel any attachment to Aurora, or even to the faerie crumpled on the ground nearby. However, he did remember what it felt like when he had loved them both. He knew what he was expected to do and how to react to them. Even if he no longer cared, his way was eased by the knowledge from when he did. It also didn't hurt to see that the girl, at least, still cared about him.

His gaze fell upon the three pixies hovering just barely behind Aurora and Maleficent. They had been utterly useless for the entire confrontation, though he supposed there was nothing new about that. Now, they huddled together, grasping each other's hands and shaking from the excitement of the day. He probably would have pitied them before he lost his heart.

"Diaval."

The voice was just shy of sharp, clearly delivering a command. His attention snapped to the faery on the ground, her stony expression betraying nothing to the average person. Diaval, however, knew her well enough to see the worry and uncertainty in her eyes. He made no move to approach her.

"Come, help me up. The curse's magic has drained me all but completely."

Body on autopilot, Diaval crossed the few steps to Maleficent's side. He knelt down beside her and slipped an arm around her back, careful not to brush her wings. She would be sensitive to them being touched so soon after being reunited with them. She was light, but he recognized that as a usual trait. It was just how faeries were built.

As soon as Maleficent was on her feet, she turned to look at Diaval calculatingly. There was a hint of distrust in her gaze, and the crow knew instantly that it was from him odd behavior. The odd emptiness he felt when watching her was even more profound than that he got from watching Aurora. The edges of her mouth tugged downwards in a frown.

"What has happened to you in my absence, Diaval? It is clear you are not yourself."

"He was cursed!" Thistlewitt burst out, drawing Maleficent's attention to the pixies with raised eyebrows.

That wasn't completely accurate, but Diaval supposed it was close enough. Either way, he didn't bother to make the correction. Flittle was too busy sighing and twittering on about how 'noble' his sacrifice had been anyway. Knotgrass just alternated between scowling disapprovingly at her fellow pixies and scowling disapprovingly at Maleficent.

Phillip stepped up beside them and started shooing the pixies along in the air. Their offended outcries were met only by his attempts to placate them, but not a ceasing of the movement.

"Perhaps it would be best if we let those two sort this out themselves, don't you think?"

His smile was pleading at best, but the pixies moved away none the less. He shot a quick glance over his shoulder to give Maleficent a nod of understanding before following them away. Diaval watched as Maleficent's gaze followed him.

"He has been present since the day after you fell under the curse. Prince Phillip was instrumental in helping Aurora to free you."

Despite his lack of a heart, he could still read his Mistress like an open book. Years of practice had taught him that the crease in her brow meant confusion and the flicker of her eyes towards Aurora meant concern for her goddaughter. The emotional attachment he'd once felt for these tiny quirks on her behavior may have been gone, but the knowledge of them weren't. In the same way, he knew that her stony expression when she turned back to look at him was a defense mechanism to keep herself safe.

"You were cursed?"

"Not quite. I made a deal with West in exchange for information on how to wake you."

The skin around her eyes twitched, a clear sign of her dislike for the other-worldly being. It was only the fact that he had helped her lift the curse from Aurora that kept her from showing it any more obviously.

"You should not have done that. West is not the type to make an easy bargain."

Diaval nodded slightly to agree with her statement.

"I was quite distraught with his request at the time but, with your life on the line, there wasn't much of a choice to make."

Her gaze softened, along with the hard lines of her face. Her worry did not seem to abate, though.

"What is it he asked of you?"

"My heart, though he only holds it until its rightful owner reclaims it."

He frowned, not quite knowing why he phrased things quite like that. It wasn't what he had meant to say, not that it mattered. He waved the matter from his mind.

Maleficent's eyes had widened upon his words, her expert façade struggling to hold the reins on her distress. He could see her mind racing beneath her brow, though. He'd seen it many times. She was cataloging information, drawing upon her own vast experience and knowledge to come up with a solution. After a long moment, her lip quirked upwards just a touch.

"He always has been known for his meddling, that West."

For once, when she was involved, Diaval had absolutely no idea where she was going with this. He wasn't disturbed by his sudden lack of knowing, but it was certainly odd. There hadn't been a time when he couldn't read her since near the beginning of his service to her.

"I dreamt of you, you know, when I was sleeping."

She was smiling, a soft smile that accompanied the far-away look in her eyes. After a moment, her gaze drifted back to meet Diaval's.

"I knew it was you the moment I saw you, though I knew nothing else. I don't remember it much, but I remember the gleam in your eyes. We were dancing…in a meadow, I think. And we talked, though I cannot remember of what."

Diaval knew her shift in demeanor should have been alarming. This was not the way Maleficent acted when she was distraught. She shut herself off, closed down every emotion and threw up every wall. This openness was just not like her.

"Does it matter?"

"What we talked about? No, I don't believe so. But the dream itself is very important."

Crows and ravens were said to be clever birds, but Diaval could not seem to fathom her train of thought.

"Why?"

She leaned in close to him, bringing their faces just inches apart.

"Because West never does anything without a reason. Come, Diaval, will you dance with me as you did then, once upon a dream?"

And then her lips were on his, her plush, warm lips pushing against his chapped ones. He heard the gasp from across the room that he registered as Aurora, but he could not seem to drag his mind away from the mouth that was on his. Maleficent's kiss no longer just felt warm, but fiery. Flames licked at the inside of his skull and spread throughout his entire body.

Waves wracked his frame, the water-like sensation completely at odds with the inferno that consumed him. He trembled with the force of it, his mouth never moving from Maleficent's. His eyes had slid shut at some point, blocking out the world because it was just too much to take with the sensations coursing through his body.

He could _feel._ His heart thumped madly in his chest, feeling swollen almost to the point of bursting. A laugh bubbled up from his throat, breaking the kiss as well as whatever spell had seemed to bind him and his Mistress together. Relief swept through him, along with an overwhelming sense of happiness.

His eyes snapped open again, searching out Maleficent's own gaze. She was still leaning heavily on him, either not having the strength to move away or not wanting to. Perhaps it was both. He gave her a dazzling smile.

"Oh, Mistress, I had no idea."

The small smile that had been on her face stretched into a much larger one.

"I know, it's amazing. Even I can be wrong."

Suddenly, he was confused again.

"What?"

She leaned close, so that her lips brushed his ear as she spoke.

"True love does exist."


	18. Keeping Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora takes over her father's kingdom.

"And so, from this day forth, I decree the war with the Moors to be over! Anyone found attacking the creatures who live there shall answer to me! From this day forth, we shall all live in peace!"

The reaction to Aurora's speech was mixed. It seemed that many citizens were happy that the war was over, but distrustful of the supposed peace. It probably didn't help matters that Maleficent had been standing just behind her for the entire speech. Aurora had wanted to present a united front, with both Maleficent and Phillip at her side, but there were rumors flying that Maleficent had taken over her mind.

A large hand rested on her shoulder and she glanced up to see Hamish giving her a reassuring grin. Despite being eternally serious, the man was actually proving to be very kind.

"Don't worry, My Queen. There will be some turmoil in the beginning, but the people will settle down soon once they see that the Moorfolk are not attacking them, either. It will just take some getting used to. Remember that our countries have been at war for more than three generations. That's a long time to fight and then just declare everything is over."

"You're right. I suppose I was being childish to hope that everything would just fall into place."

"Well," Maleficent chimed in, "perhaps the world could use a little more childishness, then. You certainly have accomplished quite a lot."

Diaval was waiting for them as they re-entered the castle.

"Well? How did it go?"

Maleficent laughed and pressed a short kiss to his lips, making the crow beam like a child on Christmas morning. Aurora couldn't help smiling, too, at the sight of her family so happy.

"Settle down, Diaval. The speech went wonderfully. The people will take some time to settle into the idea and then all will be well."

"Speaking of settling," Phillip wrapped an arm around Aurora's waist, only to withdraw it quickly at Maleficent's withering glare, "don't you have a meeting with your councilmen, Aurora?"

The queen gasped, realizing she had completely forgotten in the face of the speech.

"Yes, yes! You're completely right! Hamish, if you would accompany me. Phillip, would you see to the preparations for this afternoon's trip?"

Phillip swept into a deep bow, smiling at her with twinkling eyes.

"It would be my pleasure, you Highness."

Aurora pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before turning to the once-evil faerie.

"And, Godmother?"

Maleficent seemed to actually have to tear her glare away from the prince behind Aurora.

"Yes, Beastie?"

"Please don't kill Phillip while I am gone."

The smile that stretched across her lips was predatory to say the least.

"Oh, I do not mean to kill him…only to maim or seriously injure."

" _Godmother!_ "

Maleficent's laugh rang through the entry hall of the castle.

"Fine, fine, my dear. I will not harm the boy. Now run along to your meeting. The sooner you are done, the sooner we may set out for the Moors."

Aurora smiled brightly at the faerie, cast a reassuring glance at a nervous-looking Phillip, and turned to walk hastily away. Hamish's longer legs easily kept stride with her as she hurried along.

"I must admit…I had not expected that the great Maleficent would be the joking type."

Aurora huffed a laugh.

"She likes for everyone to think she is tough, but she's incredibly kind. And silly. But don't tell her I said that second part."

"Knowing her, she already knows."

The reached the meeting room with a few minutes to spare and Aurora smoothed the creases in her skirt as best she could. Upon entering, she was greeted by a sea of scowls on the faces of the men surrounding the large, oaken table. Aurora's council, the same one her father had, consisted of a mixture of military types and aristocrats. Not a single one of them looked happy.

Internally, Aurora sighed. It had been two days since her father's death and Maleficent's release. Everything that had happened since then had been a blur of politics and court rituals. There had been some initial outcry against her taking the throne, but Hamish had settled those voices so fast that Aurora had been crowned Queen the same day as her father had died.

He and Phillip were honestly the only reasons Aurora was able to keep her head above water. She hadn't been in the court all her life like Phillip had. She certainly didn't wield the respect from the other courtiers that was given to Hamish, though, to be fair, none of them yet knew he was no longer Captain of the Guard.

Aurora's entire life now consisted of a very delicate game. Every move she made was scrutinized and examined by both her allies and her enemies. With very few exceptions, she couldn't even be sure which was which. She wasn't used to having to play her cards so close to her chest, but she also had never been one to back down from a fight.

She smiled brightly at the room before her, moving to take her seat at the head of the table. Hamish sat in the empty chair directly on her right.

"Hello, gentlemen. I am glad you were all able to make it here today. I have a few important announcements I would like to make."

They hadn't really had a choice in the matter. When the sovereign of your nation told you to jump, you asked how high…at least according to Diaval. Still, Aurora thought it was important to show gratitude.

"As you all know, I made the announcement early today that the war with the Moors is over. I will be traveling there this afternoon to finalize the peace treaty and will return tomorrow."

There was a flurry of protests of the gathered men, some jumping to their feet to shout. Aurora waited patiently for the clamor to die down and, when that didn't work, nodded her head in Hamish's direction. The ex-Captain stood calmly before slamming his palms into the table thunderously.

"ENOUGH! The Queen is speaking and you will show her the respect she deserves!"

The room quieted immediately and everyone sat once more. Aurora smiled at the man beside her.

"Thank you, Hamish."

"Of course, My Lady."

"This trip," she said, turning back to the room at large, "will be happening. I am to be accompanied by the finest guards at my disposal, so you may rest assured that no harm shall come to me." They didn't need to know that those guards were Phillip, Maleficent, and Diaval. "However, I will not be leaving our nation without a leader, even for such a short time. Any matters that should require my attention may be brought to Hamish, who will speak for me in my stead."

This time the clamor around the table was more sedated. It seemed that the politicians learned quickly. One man, with short black hair and a greying beard, pushed himself to his feet.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, you simply cannot appoint your Captain of the Guard to rule in your stead. It violates our laws of Militant-Sovereign Separation."

"I appreciate you concern on the matter, Sir…"

"Gwaine."

"Thank you, Sir Gwaine. I want you to rest assured that I will be taking the laws and statutes of our nation very seriously, but there is no need for trepidation over my actions concerning Sir Hamish, for he no longer serves as my Captain of the Guard."

More clamoring and Aurora had to sigh. Were all of her council meetings going to be this exciting? You would have thought council members would have been chosen for their ability to keep a level head and think clearly. As the commotion died down, Aurora spoke again.

"Sir Hamish will be serving as the head of the Order of Truth, which operates outside of the normal chain of command. The purpose of this Order is to preserve the Good and the Peace of our nation, no matter what its leaders say. Another incident like the one with my father cannot be allowed to occur again."

She clenched her jaw at the newest round of shouting. It was going to be a long day.


	19. A Trip to Faerieland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora gets away from the castle and her new duties as Queen for a little while...though perhaps not as away as she would have expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay, everyone! School has just started back for the year so I have been a bit busy. I will try and make sure the posts stay steady from here on out.

"Oh, yes! It's so good to be out of that castle!"

Phillip watched with a bemused grin as Aurora threw her hands in the air as if savoring the feeling of freedom. He imagined that was probably exactly what she was doing after so many days handling court affairs. Perhaps this had been Maleficent's reason for insisting that they go to the Moors to decide on an exact peace treaty between their lands.

The faerie herself smiled up at her goddaughter. Aurora and Phillip were both on horses while Maleficent and Diaval walked beside them. Now that they were out of the city, the air seemed lighter.

"Diaval and I will fly ahead. I will need to bring down the wall of thorns in preparation for your arrival and I shall have to deal with Balthazar. We will see you again soon. Come, Diaval."

The dark faerie pressed a kiss to Diaval's lips, mattering a quick, "Into a bird," against them. Soon, they were both soaring high above the others, dwindling to nothing more than spots in the distance. Phillip smiled after them.

"They seem so good together. They just…fit."

Aurora hummed beside him.

"Godmother and Diaval have been together since before I was born. There has always been something between them, though I don't think Godmother had figured it out until this whole ordeal with West." She huffed a bit of laughter. "She can be rather dense at the absolute _worst_ of times."

Phillip turned his gaze to the young woman, face set in a very serious expression.

"She terrifies me, you know. Sometimes I look up and she's just watching me like a hawk watches a field mouse. I think she hates me."

Aurora laughed, smothering it behind a hand. Her eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Oh, she doesn't hate you! She likes you!"

Phillip gaped at her.

"Did you miss that bit about the hawk and the field mouse?"

"No! Really! Godmother can be very…stern-looking, but she actually really likes people. She just has a bit of an off sense of humor."

"So you're saying that she's just making fun of me?"

"Teasing you, yes. If she really didn't like you then she wouldn't have left you alone with me. Otherwise she would have had Diaval stay and keep an eye on us."

"You mean me."

Aurora gave him a small smile, but didn't comment. They rode in silence for a few minutes before Phillip spoke up again.

"You really think she likes me?"

"Of course she does. You took a lot of risks to help her when she was trapped by the curse. That isn't something she would overlook easily. And you fought Stefan, putting yourself in harm's way."

Phillip nodded, mind becoming wrapped up in the thoughts her words provoked. After another few minutes, he spoke once more.

"Aurora...Do you think your father still loved Maleficent?"

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, face unreadable, before sighing heavily.

"I don't know...He must have for his kiss to break the spell. I've been thinking about it a lot the past few days."

"Yeah. Me too. I see her with Diaval and I find myself thinking, 'That's who should have woken her up. That's true love right there.' But that's not what happened."

"No." Aurora mused. "It's not."

"You know, I heard him talking to Maleficent once. Stefan, I mean. When she was still in that glass case. I got lost and wound up in the throne room late one night. I hid as soon as I heard someone else arrive. He talked about all this stuff, about how he regretted how things had turned out and how all he'd ever wanted was her but he wasn't good enough for her." He wrinkled his nose at the memories. "He started to get pretty angry after that."

Aurora frowned beside him, considering this new information.

"I think…I think perhaps they did love each other, in the end."

Phillip blinked at her, alarmed.

"You think locking someone in a glass case or trying to curse their child is love?"

"No, but I think it might have happened _because_ they loved each other. It just changed over time and became something bad. They loved each other when they were young to a point that they could not return from. Even though things didn't work out, a part of them would always love the other. And then my father's ambition blinded him and he hurt Maleficent. In return, she hurt him right back. It began this vicious cycle that neither was able to break free of."

Phillip nodded slowly, beginning to understand what she was trying to get at.

"And the reason they were able to hurt each other so badly was because they loved each other. They had all that emotion invested only to have it thrown back in their faces."

"Exactly."

"But that's so…twisted. I thought only true love's kiss could break the curse."

"I've thought about that, too. What if what they felt was true love? I think we've been making it out to be some incredibly special thing, but what if it isn't? What if true love is just…love? In any shape or form."

Phillip had to admit he hadn't actually thought of that.

"So as long as there is love involved, it would have broken the spell?"

"Yeah, I think so. I don't think it even had to be a romantic love. Because I love her as a mother, she would have woken up to my kiss, too. Or Balthazar's because he loves her as a friend."

Phillip snorted.

"Well, that would have been useful to know before."

"Yeah, it probably would have."

They fell back to lighter topics after that, chatting about whatever came to mind. They both enjoyed the chance to relax without the weight of life seeming to crush them. The fields passed quickly as the sun moved through the sky and they soon found themselves at the edge of the Moors, clear space where the wall of thorns used to be. Balthazar awaited them at the edge of the forest and Aurora greeted him with a smile.

"It is so good to see you!"

He inclined his head in a greeting of his own before gesturing for them to follow him deeper into the woods. The two royals quickly dismounted and tied their horses to a low-hanging branch before following. They exchanged nervous glances, not quite sure what was going on, but it couldn't quell the excitement Aurora clearly felt at returning to this place. It made Phillip smile just to see her so happy.

The forest was curiously devoid of its usual creatures, but as they stepped into the large clearing where Maleficent's throne had once sat, it became clear why. They were all gathered around, leaving only a clear path for the new arrivals unoccupied. Maleficent and Diaval stood at the center of the gathering, both smiling proudly.

Balthazar lead them to the center before stepping away to take his place behind Maleficent, standing tall and at attention. Maleficent inclined her head to Aurora in what might have been a bow.

"Queen Aurora, I bid you welcome to the Moors."

Maleficent spoke in formal tones, contradicting the pleased glimmer in her eyes. Following her godmother's lead, Aurora dipped into a courtesy.

"It pleases me to receive such a warm welcome to discuss the future peace between our nations."

This brought a smile to Maleficent's lips, which Phillip watched with some curiosity. For the life of him, he was not sure where this was going.

"As you know, I am a Guardian of the Moors, though I have not done a very good job of it as of late. We have never had need of a ruler, but in my anger I thrust myself upon the inhabitants and bent them to my will. They looked to me and I did not lead them down the path that was best. Now, it is time for them to look to someone far more worthy than myself."

Her smile stretched larger and suddenly everything clicked for Phillip.

"We of the Moors recognize you, Aurora Stefansri, as rightful ruler of our nation and willingly pledge ourselves to your service. In that way, do you pledge yourself to ours, to uphold the peace and values of those who dwell within our borders?"

Aurora gaped, mouth moving without sound for several minutes before she broke into a huge grin.

"It would be my deepest honor."

With a proud smile kept barely in check, Maleficent raised both hands and used magic to conjure a crown of golden flowers and vines. The pieces wove together seamlessly and glimmered brightly in the sun. Aurora ducked her head slightly for her godmother to place the crown upon it.

"Then it is done, my dear."

With a giggle than was quite un-queenly, Aurora threw herself into Maleficent's arms, hugging her tightly. Phillip couldn't help the grin that split his face as he joined the rest of the Moor's inhabitants in applause.


	20. Losing Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything settles in to a close...

Maleficent stretched her spine to its fullest, her arms and wings extended towards the sky. The sun warmed her skin. It seeped into the feathers of her wings. She closed her eyes for a moment to savor the sensation and tilted her face up more.

"Enjoying yourself, then?"

A smile slipped across her face as she turned to look at the black-clad man behind her. He stood posed against the trunk of a tree nearby, watching her with a bemused smirk. Everything about him was dark, seeming to pull the light in towards him. It was a presence she'd found comforting since she first saved him from that net.

"Diaval."

"Aurora and Phillip just left to return to the castle, as planned. There is much for her to attend to, especially now that she has two realms to rule. She has elected to take Grimald and Bria with her to act as members of her council." His smirk twitched. "I do believe she is planning to cause a stir."

Maleficent turned away from Diaval once more, looking again across the Moors. Her eyebrows pulled together in thought.

"Grimald is a good choice. He will not be afraid to speak his mind."

The crow snorted.

"Not that any of them could understand him."

His voice was closer and Maleficent glanced over to see that he was approaching her. He had a look in his eye she recognized well, though it had only begun appearing within the last few days. She felt nerves clawing at the pit of her stomach and quickly drew her eyes away again.

"Bria will be able to translate, or Aurora. She has been picking of the language of the tree folk extremely well. Having the two of them there will send a powerful message to Aurora's adversaries as well."

Diaval did not respond, just stepped up beside her and followed her gaze out over the Moors. The cliff they stood on was high enough to provide a view of almost everything and Maleficent often found herself there when she needed to think. She carefully kept her eyes on the mist that was moving in from the distance. Several long minutes passed before Diaval finally spoke again.

"You have been acting strangely ever since we returned the Moors. Is there something I should know? Last time you plotted on your own, I had to save you from a glass box."

He meant it as a joke, she knew, and expected a returning quip about how he hadn't been of much help anyway. They'd been together for so long, almost twenty years, that they knew each other like the back of their hands. They could work together seamlessly with no fear that the other would get in their way. And, perhaps, losing that was what Maleficent found herself truly fearing.

"I…will not be very good at this, you know."

As yet another testament to their aligned thoughts, Diaval didn't even pause before nodding his understanding.

"I'm not so sure there is anyone who is really 'good' at these things."

The smile she gave him was indulgent at best.

"You certainly seem to be."

He shrugged noncommittally.

"Crows mate for life. It's in our biology. All that means is that I'm good at being loyal. The relationship portion of it, the emotions…all I know about that is what I have observed in others."

"And what has that taught you, pretty bird?"

A frown etched across his features, but it was one of thought and not of disappointment or anger.

"There is a couple who lives in the outskirts of town, on the farm with the windmill. They have lived there since before I came into your service and are both nearing the end of their days. I learned from them that it is the little things that matter. Despite his age and failing health, the man never fails to go into the garden each and every day to bring his wife a single rose. She, in turn, places it in a vase in the kitchen. She hangs the old one up to dry and has kept every flower he has ever given her."

"She must hold them very dear."

"They came from the ones she loves. They are more than just simple flowers to her."

Maleficent hummed her agreement.

"What else is there?"

He shrugged, clearly not really sure how to put everything he had seen over the years into words.

"Every relationship is different. We can examine those of others all we want, but it won't do us a lick of good if we don't take the time to look at our relationship. We've been together now for almost twenty years, but things have changed since…well, you know."

He shifted uncomfortably and Maleficent frowned. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Diaval was extremely put off by the time he'd spent without a heart. Maleficent imagined it had been much worse for him than it'd been for her. She, at least, had been asleep and didn't have the memories of what she had or hadn't done to still carry with her. They hadn't talked about what happened, but they probably should.

She turned to Diaval and took his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. She ran her thumbs gently across his cheeks before leaning in to give him a soft kiss. The contact was light and slow, but she used it to convey a reassurance she wasn't sure she could put into words. When the kiss ended she stayed close, their lips brushing softly with each movement of her lips and their breaths mingling in the air.

"West has a way of finding our deepest wishes and comforts. He twists them and mangles them as he takes them away and he finds a method that forces you to not only ask him to do so, but be thankful. What he took from you…You were not yourself without it."

She could feel the shudder than ran through his body and frowned. His pain was clear to her and it made her own heart ache to see it. Diaval was far too pure to have had to suffer such a loss. Her wings moved to encircle them both, forming a protective barrier against the outside world. Diaval drew back slightly, but only enough so that he could look at her in the eye.

"I can still remember what it felt like…to not care…about anything. I would look at Aurora and I would feel nothing, just this blank void where I knew something should be and I couldn't even be concerned that there was nothing there. I knew there was something wrong but I couldn't bring myself to care. And I would look at you, locked away in that case," the disgust he felt at the mere thought practically dripped from his words, "and the void just got bigger and it was like it didn't even matter."

He pulled away from her finally, breaching the protective barrier her wings had provided. His hands were on his head, tangling in his hair. Distress poured off of him in droves as he retreated towards the tree he had previously been leaning against. He slid to the ground at its base, head still cradled mournfully in his hands.

Maleficent could only stare at him for a moment in shock. She had known his experience had bothered him, that it distressed him, but she'd had no idea it was this bad. How could she have missed this? Diaval was always so constant, a solid rock in her life. It seemed surreal to see him now buckling under the pressure of his trials, however difficult they had been.

She moved gracefully across the clearing to crouch in front of her raven. Her hands gently pried his own from his hair and she held the appendages between their bodies. She pressed a quick kiss to each of his knuckles, hoping to ease at least some of his pain.

"I cannot change the past, Diaval, and there is much that I cannot change about the present. If I could take these things from your mind, I would do so without hesitation. You do not deserve the trouble this has given you, especially not since you only traded away your heart in an effort to help me. I will never, ever allow something like this to happen to you again, though. Rest assured."

She pressed another kiss to his forehead and he sighed, relaxing a fraction and leaning into her.

"You are the most caring individual I have ever met, Diaval. That is why West's curse was able to affect you so. Your heart is magnificent and you will never lose it again. You have my word."

Diaval chucked ever so slightly, which she took to be an extremely good sign. Laughter had to mean that what she was saying was getting through to him, right?

"I lost my heart long before West took it away from me. That's why I was able to get it back, remember?" He leaned up to press his lips against hers this time. "My heart already belonged to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! All that's left now is the epilogue! Thank you all for sticking with me this long! You are wonderful!


	21. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of this fic...how bittersweet!

Aurora's assent to the throne was less than easy. Within the first year, there were three separate attempts on her life. The first was thwarted by her personal guard, a soldier chosen by Hamish himself. Phillip saved her from the second during a visit from his kingdom. The third assassin met a rather untimely and painful end when he was met by Maleficent instead of the new queen. There were no more attempts after that.

She ended up replacing more than three quarters of her father's council. Those she chose to make up her new council included laborers, craftsmen, and more than a few Moor-folk. It was the first time anyone had council members that were not noblemen. To say that Aurora made enemies among the upper class would be putting it lightly, but the peasants she ruled over, the everyday folk, loved her as though their very lives depended on it. They'd never had a ruler that took such an interest in them before, one that actually listened and tried to improve their conditions.

Phillip, still only a prince in his own country, announced his intentions to officially court Aurora shortly after her coronation. His father was so overjoyed by the match that he held a week-long celebration in their honor. The newly-crowned queen thought it was sweet and formed an almost-instant bond with the neighboring king, but Phillip seemed to think the whole thing was horribly embarrassing. Diaval, of course, took every available opportunity to tease him about it.

Diaval and the prince had developed an odd sort of relationship ever since the crow had recovered from his own particular curse. At first Phillip had been cautious around the older male, no doubt responding to the fact that he'd been heartless for so long. As time passed, though, they discovered a very similar sense of humor and Phillip found that Diaval had no trouble telling him the truth when others would rather tiptoe around it. Diaval became his closest confidant, which was probably why the crow knew about his plans to propose before anyone else.

Aurora, of course, said yes and the two planned their marriage for exactly three years after their original meeting. The guest list was filled with people and creatures from all three realms, with Diaval as Phillip's Best Man and Maleficent as Aurora's Maid of Honor. The three flower pixies were in charge of the rings, though it was suspected by many that more than a little magic from Maleficent was involved in making sure they kept up with the things.

The day of the wedding dawned bright and sunny, the garden of the palace was groomed to perfection and the creatures of the Moors had ensured that all the plants were in perfect bloom. The water pixies danced across the surface of the garden's fountain, throwing sparkles of light into the air. Aurora's dress was beautiful, made of silk from the finest moths in Phillip's domain and spun by the spider spirits that inhabited the highest reaches of the Moors. The prince himself wore armor forged by the most accomplished metal workers in Aurora's court.

The only hiccup of the day came in the form of their priest falling ill. Father Gillian ran a rural parish and had been to court many times to represent his town for Aurora's judgment. She had admired his passion and dedication from the moment they'd met and soon added him to her council when it was convenient for him to make the trek. His advice had proved invaluable over the years. It also helped that he was apparently a personal friend to Hamish, as they had grown up together before going their separate ways.

The Father did not leave them hanging, though. He sent in his place a younger priest who often oversaw his parish when he was away. Father Kanye had worked there for many years and was being groomed to take over when Gillian passed on. He'd been more than happy to step in and perform the marriage rights for Aurora and Phillip.

He was also apparently very adept at getting people to do what he needed them to and with his guidance the ceremony went off without a hitch. The reception was already well underway when Maleficent and Diaval found him off to the side sipping on his drink. The ebony-skinned man smiled widely at them before sweeping into a deep bow.

"Ah, dear Maleficent, I had wondered when you would approach me."

His friendly tone did nothing to chill the fiery glares the two leveled in his direction. When the guardian smiled, it was all teeth and sharp edges. There was no nicety in it. She leaned close so as not to be overheard.

"You will stay away from them, do I make myself clear?" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "There is no power, not even yours, which could stop me from causing your utter destruction."

The priest just laughed, never faltering for a moment. He glanced over at Diaval with a raised eyebrow.

"I assume you come armed with a similar threat, crow?"

Diaval didn't flinch, though his instincts certainly were to shy away.

"You already know my loyalty to Maleficent. I will be behind her in whatever she chooses to do."

"Now more than ever, right? I am glad my 'curse' turned out so beneficial for you…both of you."

Maleficent scowled, eyed narrowing in warning.

"Enough games, West. What do you have planned for Aurora?"

Hands held up as though in surrender, West shook his head. His smile never wavered, though.

"You misunderstand. My intentions here are entirely pure." He dropped his arms and turned to gaze across the garden to the rolling hills that surrounded the castle. "Aurora is a child of both worlds, a human raised by magic. She has already done much for the balance of the worlds…her destiny is to do much more."

"And you are here to make sure she follows this destiny?"

West chuckled and threw Diaval a look that could only be described as fond.

"Destiny is not something that one can be shepparded towards. It is simply what is going to happen. We can only influence the way in which it happens. I would prefer, and I am sure you would agree, that Aurora's way be a path of happiness. My blessing at the end of the wedding? Where I wished the couple joy and peace throughout their days? They were more than just empty words."

Maleficent's brow was furrowed in obvious confusion.

"But…why? Why would you be concerned with Aurora's happiness?"

West shrugged.

"Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good happy ending. Now, it looks to me like the toasts are about to begin…You two should probably get back."

"And you?"

West smiled once again.

"I should be getting back, too."

Neither Maleficent nor Diaval ever saw West again, but he still proved true to his word. Aurora and Phillip were deliriously happy together, even though they had to spend at least some time apart to handle ruling all three nations. They seemed almost able to read each other's minds, even across great distance. It helped that they could pretty much leave the Moors to Maleficent, as well.

War could not be completely avoided, of course, but it seemed that most of the world knew better than to challenge a nation that held the strength of three. Those foolish enough to attack were dealt with swiftly and with minimal loss. Thanks to Aurora's particular brand of politics, most of the surrounding nations were allies, anyway.

As for Diaval and Maleficent, they lived on with their own bit of happiness. With the exception of visiting Aurora and Phillip, they predominately remained in the Moors. Diaval spent more and more time in the form of a man, which Maleficent had felt guilty about before he explained that he felt more at home in that form than any other. They had each other and they had peace, which was more than either of them could have hoped for.

They had their disagreements, of course. It would be ridiculous to expect otherwise. But they could never stay angry with each other for long. Even when they were furious at each other, they couldn't bear to be apart. The proximity more than anything else was what forced them to sort out most of their arguments.

For the most part, though, they were happy. West and his blessing eventually drifted to the back of their minds over the years, along with his foretelling of Aurora's destiny. Still, it seemed that he had been right…they were going to get the happy ending that so seldom seemed to come to those in real life. It was a powerful story, one that people were just drawn to spread. Long after her rule was over, after the crown was passed from generation to generation, Aurora's story would still be told. It would be whispered in the ears of children to ease their nights. And right along with her story would be the story of her fairy godmother, the one they called Sleeping Beauty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading! It means so much to me! Now, I also have an unfinished series of little shorts that I have done for the Maleficent fandom. I am five chapters in at the moment. It consists of a list of 100 prompts. I write a three sentence short for each prompt and post them ten at a time. In between, I post extensions of the ones people really liked. Would you all be interested in me posting those over here as well?

**Author's Note:**

> So? Ready for the next chapter? I'll be posting every Saturday and Wednesday unless I get five reviews on the latest chapter...then I'll update early!


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